Tales of Remnant: Spring
by Ar3mRising
Summary: The world of Remnant is a large place with many colorful and interesting characters, But I think it's time to look at the story from a new angle. Meet Shiroi "Roy" Arashi, a faunus just trying to live his life from day to day. Every day will bring new trials and new enemies. "Lend an ear and you will hear, This, my tale of Remnant." For Monty (I do not own RWBY credit to RT.)
1. Prologue

The broken moon shone brightly in the sky, casting a pale blue light over the buildings of the Atlas Warehouse district.

A boy stood atop a Schnee Dust company warehouse staring down through a glass skylight into the room below. The cold air nipped at the tip of his nose and he pulled the hood he wore farther down over his face.

Inside the room, 20 ft down, a prototype dust saber lay, almost regally, on a workbench. The glimmering blade was nestled on top of what looked like its blueprints and the dark blue color cast the silver metal into sharp relief.

The boy leaned forward, gazing almost hungrily at the sword through the skylight. He had never owned a weapon of his own, but he was heading to Beacon Academy soon and needed a weapon. The main problem being, he had no access to any materials with which to make one. So, he was doing the one thing he had never wanted to do again; steal from the Schnee Dust Company. It was a necessary evil, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Back on the roof, the boy heard his scroll buzz. He fished in his pocket for a moment before successfully retrieving the device. Sliding it open, he clicked play on the voice message he'd just received.

"Hey!" A female voice snapped, "You missed dinner and didn't call me or Ebony all day! She's worried sick and I'm kinda pissed. Text me when you get this!"

The boy rolled one deep blue eye; his other eye hidden under a soft leather eyepatch. He tucked the scroll back into his pocket and knelt down.

Sliding a plasma bayonet from a wrist sheath, the boy squeezed a button on the handle. With a soft hum, the blade was surrounded by a glowing halo of red hot plasma. Carefully, he slid the bayonet into the thick glass, slicing through easily, as if the pane were made of butter.

He cut a 2 ½ foot hole in the pane and the circle of glass fell down into the warehouse with a small crash. Knowing he had precious seconds before the guard came to investigate, he jumped down into the warehouse, landed on a shelf then jumped the remaining 10 feet to the floor.

He landed in a crouch, straightening up and brushed himself off. Turning, he began to walk back toward the workbench. Upon reaching it, he quietly slid the blueprints out from under the blade and stashed them in a satchel hanging over his shoulder.

After stowing the plans away in his bag, he grasped the handle of the weapon and lifted it up to inspect it. The sword was around 4 ½ feet long, with a long slim single edged blade that led down to a cylinder that held 6 dust cartridges. The handle was tightly bound in black leather and ended in a flaring metal pommel. A thin layer of dust indicated just how long it had been laying there, waiting, perhaps for years, to be used again.

His inspection of the weapon was interrupted when the door of the room suddenly opened. Light from the hallway outside spilled into the room, framing a tall white haired woman standing in the doorway.

She froze as she took in the sight of Roy standing in the patch of moonlight, clutching his prize.

The woman grabbed the handle of an elegant fencing saber buckled to her hip, "HALT!" she shouted, drawing her sword and shooting toward him.

Desperate to get away, he backpedaled furiously. His timing was off by a hair, but that's all it took. The woman unleashed a horizontal slash directly at his face. The boy flinched backwards, avoiding a knockout blow as the sword scored a deep cut that bit all the way to his cheekbone.

He jerked his head back and yelled. The jerk forcing the hood clear off his head, revealing a pair of black cat ears. He stumbled backwards away from the woman, one hand clutching his face. The other raised the sword, leveling it's point at his attacker.

"Give yourself up!" the woman ordered coldly, aiming her own sword at the boy's heart, "Or I'll cut you down where you stand"

The boy didn't answer. Instead, he spun away and ran headlong away from his attacker. A white blur shot by him and he barely dodged another slash from the woman's sword as she appeared in front of him.

Diving forward, The boy shot up just behind her and quickly scaled a nearby stack of crates toward a window set high in the northern wall of the room.

Turning, he faced the woman, his sword point once again aimed at her heart. The woman gave a smug smile

"You're very good at running away" she said, her voice dripping with disdain, "is that all you faunus know how to do?"

The boy raised his hood, obscuring his ears again, refusing to rise to her taunts.

The woman suddenly swiped her hand horizontally across her body and a blinding white glif appeared behind her.

Before the boy could blink, the woman shot toward him. His field of vision dominated by flashing steel and cold, ice blue eyes.

The boy desperately parried the blow and the two blades met with a loud clang. Next thing the he knew, the boy was smashing through the window; the force of the woman's blow violently throwing him backwards.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, the countless shards of glass glimmering in the moonlight as he fell. The boy landed hard, the force of the impact knocking all of the air out of him. He stumbled to his feet, wincing as his back throbbed painfully.

He barely had a moment to gather his thoughts before an alarm sounded throughout the warehouse.

He was standing in the secondary courtyard and the wall was 30 feet from him. The courtyard was covered in a fresh blanket of snow with only the occasional trail of footprints disturbing the otherwise pristine white carpet.

The boy started sprinting as fast as he could toward the wall, easily covering the distance and reaching the wall in a matter of seconds. His dash forward throwing up large chunks of snow and ice in his wake.

He began to climb the wall, his heart rate skyrocketing as he heard the tramp of heavy boots across the snow. He shot a quick glance over his shoulder and what he saw caused him to practically fly up the wall.

A group of Atlesian knights were advancing across the courtyard, weapons leveled and heads turning swiftly searching for their quarry.

The boy quickly vaulted over the top of the wall and slid down the other side. As soon as his feet touched the snow, he sprinted away from the warehouse as if the God of destruction himself was on his tail. He finally slowed to a jog when he was a mile from the warehouse.

 _What was that Arashi?!_ He reprimanded himself mentally, _You could have taken her!_

The cold night air stung the cut on his face and he felt something wet sliding down the back of his hand.

He raised his hand and found it covered in blood, a shard of glass having cut him during his trip through the window. In the pale moonlight, the sticky, red blood appeared a deep, inky black.

Staunching his bleeding face and hand as best he could, the boy let out a heavy sigh

"Sierra's not going to be happy with me" he murmured to himself.

He wiped as much of the blood off of his hand as he could before turning and disappearing into the woods like a specter.

 **Welcome, Ladies and gentlemen, to my First ever fanfiction; "Tales of Remnant. A new look at the RWBY Canon from the view of a new cast of characters! I really hope ya'll stick around and enjoy!**

 **Until next we meet!** - **Ar3mRising.**


	2. Chapter 1: Out Past Bedtime

The boy snuck down the street of a middle class Atlas neighborhood ten miles away from the warehouse district.

Stealing up to a small house, he took a key from the pocket of his jacket. He winced as the wound on the back of his hand brushed the edge of his pocket. Successfully retrieving the key, he slid it into the lock. Turning the key briskly, he unlocked the door with a click and slid inside the house.

Standing in the entryway, he started to let out a sigh of relief when, all of a sudden, the light in the entryway flashed on, temporarily blinding him.

He staggered backwards and tripped over a shoe behind him. He fell, landing hard on his rear. Shielding his eye from the glaring ceramic lamp, he glanced in the direction of the light switch. From his spot on the floor, his eye first found a pair of slippered feet.

His gaze traveled upward finding a pair of navy blue shorts, then a "Dust 4 life" t-shirt and finally meeting the irritated stare from a pair of greenish blue eyes.

"Do you have any Idea what time it is?!", a female voice asked sharply.

The boy was still having a hard time seeing and his eyes were watering from the shock of the bright light. "

That was low! You know I have very sensitive vision at night". He groaned.

The girl scoffed, "Oh yes I know, the great faunus hunter who can see in the dark!" The boy stood up and brushed himself off, still looking her in the eye.

Her expression turned from one of irritation to one of concern as she saw the wound on his face. "Are you okay?"

The boy looked into a mirror hanging in the entryway. The blood from his cheek had dripped down his face and neck, making the wound look much worse than it was.

He tried to shrug off her question. "Yeah just a scratch".

The girl facepalmed "activate your aura you dummy" she sighed "it should help it heal"

The boy nodded silently and concentrated. Slowly a blue glow crept over his body, his wounds glowing faintly as his aura did its best to heal them. The girl rolled her eyes at her friend's apparent lack of aura knowledge

"honestly…" she grumbled. The boy rolled his eyes back and turned to leave the entry way. The girl darted in front of him as he tried to walk toward the stairs.

"What is that?", she said, pointing to the stolen sword.

"Nothing?", he answered. The girl's eyes narrowed. "Roy? Did you steal it?" Roy braced himself, "Yes" he whispered.

A dangerous light came into the girl's eyes. She suddenly launched a punch at Roy's face. "You IDIOT!"

Roy dodged to the side. "Sierra!", he hissed, "What the hell?" Sierra blew a wisp of hair out of her face, "You know damn well what!", she snapped, "You told me you were done! You told me you weren't going to steal again-"

"And I'm not", Roy cut her off, "after tonight" Sierra sputtered wordlessly as Roy continued "I just needed a real weapon before I go to Beacon".

Sierra huffed, "I suppose you're going to have to leave Atlas now". Roy nodded, "I doubt Atlas will put up wanted posters as far south as Vale".

Sierra rubbed her temples. "Why didn't you wear your mask?", she asked. "That thing is really hot", Roy answered. Sierra sighed, "Yeah but it does a lot of other great things, too. Like mask your identity" She added sarcastically.

Roy simply shrugged. Sierra facepalmed again. "Shiroi Arashi, I swear you are going to be the death of me".

Shiroi Arashi or Roy, as he liked to be called, grinned, "I doubt that".

A sleepy voice came from the second level. "What's going on down here?" Sierra and Roy both looked to the top of the stairs.

A female faunus was standing on the landing, a blanket wrapped around her for warmth, her hair tousled and her eyes heavy.

"I'm so sorry, Ebony", Roy apologized, "I didn't mean to wake you". Ebony yawned, "It's fine, I wasn't having a good night anyway".

Roy turned to Sierra, "I want to thank you again for letting Ebony stay here while we… Figure things out". Sierra grinned, "Don't mention it, it's been nice to have another girl around the house".

Ebony sat on the top step and smiled sleepily at Roy, "Where have you been?" she murmured. Roy smiled back, "I went on a little bit of a midnight supply run".

Ebony was struggling to keep her eyes open. She'd been having trouble sleeping for the past few weeks. Roy watched as she leaned her head against the stairwell wall. She yawned again, "Oh, Where?"

Roy hesitated before answering, "I was at a…", he trailed off as he heard a soft snore.

Looking up he saw that Ebony had fallen asleep, her head leaning against the wooden banister. Walking up the stairs, he gently picked her up.

Looking back down the steps he saw Sierra shaking her head at him. "What?", he whispered.

"You should tell her the truth in the morning," Sierra said, "she's not stupid, she'll notice the cut on your face".

Roy's hand darted to his cheek "didn't my aura fix…" he stopped as his hand found the fresh scar where the cut had been. "Wow" he breathed "I didn't know the cut was that deep"

Sierra crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently "well?" she asked.  
Roy lowered his hand "I'll tell her tomorrow" he said finally.

Sierra gave a satisfied "humph" as she walked up the stairs past Roy and disappeared into a room on the left of the hallway.

Roy smiled and gently carried Ebony to the guest room. Setting her down, he tucked her in, smiling slightly as she sighed and curled into a ball under the covers. As quietly as he could, Roy left and retreated to his own room.

Taking the sword from his back, he set it on the bed. He then grabbed a towel and made the short walk down the hall to the shower. Opening the door to the bathroom, he silently stepped inside. Flipping on the light, he set his extra clothes down and turned on the water. Satisfied with the temperature of the water, He proceeded to strip down. Removing his soft leather eyepatch first followed by the rest of his clothes.

Stepping into the shower, he let out a sigh of contentment as the hot water cascaded over him. The water stung the cuts on his face and hand slightly, but overall did a wonderful job erasing the residual chill of the frigid Atlesian night.

Fifteen minutes later, Roy turned off the water, stepped out of the shower and started to dry off. Walking over to the sink, he wiped the fog off the mirror hanging above it and contemplated his reflection.

His longish, tousled black hair partially covered the left side of his face. Sticking up through his hair were two large cat ears covered in soft dark gray fur that darkened to black at the tips. A trait inherited from his mother's side of the family, his ears were larger than the average faunus' being almost the size of his cupped hand. He lifted his bangs to get a better look at his face. It was plain with one deep blue, slit-pupiled eye shining out from under his bangs, A jagged row of three scars ran through where his left eye had been, ending just below his cheek bone. The fresh scar stood out pink against the surrounding skin and he once again ran his finger over it, feeling the smooth raised line of flesh along his cheek. His body was not overly muscular, but toned and his stomach was flat with just a hint of abs. On his right side was a large round scar with ragged edges.

Having seen enough, he turned away from the mirror and slipped on a t-shirt and sweatpants. Quietly opening the bathroom door, he snuck through the hall.

As he passed the guest room, he heard Ebony cry out softly. Swiftly, he opened the door and looked toward the bed. Ebony was tossing and turning violently in her bed, whimpering every few seconds. Roy knew she was having a night terror, a bad one too by the look of it. The nightmares had become more frequent the last few months, keeping her from the sleep she so dearly needed.

Roy crept over to her side and softly gripped her shoulder. She jerked awake, looking wildly around. "NO!" she cried, her arm flashing out, almost catching Roy in the face.

Roy gently caught her arm with a soft smack, feeling the force of the blow travel up his arm. "Ebony, you okay?" he whispered.

Ebony extricated her hand from Roy's grip and looked away, ashamed.

"Y-yeah" she stammered "Just a bad dream"

Roy's brow furrowed as he looked more closely at Ebony, she was not "okay". In the pale moonlight coming through the bedroom window, he could see a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead and just by listening, he knew she was breathing hard.

"Are you sure?" he asked her tentatively.

"Yes Roy!" Ebony snapped "I'm fine!"

Roy gave her a hurt look; he'd only been trying to help.

Ebony sighed and gripped her head "Sorry, I'm just tired" Roy nodded "I know" he gently pressed her back into bed and patted her shoulder "you're safe here, I'm just down the hall if you need me" He slid off the end of the bed and walked toward the door.

"Roy?" Ebony's voice stopped him in his tracks, "would you...stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked timidly.

Roy smiled softly to himself "I'd be happy too" he said, turning back to the bed and sitting down next to Ebony. Her face softened and she gave him a grateful smile before laying back down and closing her eyes.

Roy sat with her until her quick breath faded into the deep sighs of REM sleep then he turned and snuck quietly out the door. He crept down the hall to his room and entered. Softly closing the door behind him, he moved to the bed and placed the sword on the dresser. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers over his head. He didn't know what Ebony had been dreaming about, but he had a pretty good idea. He quickly banished thoughts of it from his mind and, turning over, sank into the comforting depths of sleep.

 **You ever have those nights when it's really hard to fall asleep? I have those a lot and it sucks. On the flip side, most of my ideas for this story come from those sleepless nights. Blessings in disguise I guess.**

 **Until next we meet,** **-Ar3mRising.**


	3. Chapter 2: A Good View

Roy sat in a transport bound for Beacon Academy. His stolen weapon lay across his knees and he slowly moved a sharpening stone up and down the blade; the rasping sound soothing his taut nerves.

He had decided to name it black orchid after his dad's old team: ORCD. He hadn't had a chance to put the sword through its paces so the sharpening was more a nervous tick than a necessity.

He paused in the whetting and fiddled with the top of his hood, a movement that appeared quite normal but disguised Roy trying to rub some life into his cat ears which he had folded as to be partially hidden under his hood.

"EWW YANG GROSS! YOU HAVE PUKE ON YOUR SHOE!"

he looked up and caught a glimpse of a girl in a red hood rapidly retreating from another girl with wild blond hair. He grinned slightly and went back to sharpening.

"You want to have some blade left you know" a voice spoke from his left.

he turned to see Ebony grinning softly at him. Putting the sharpening stone away he stashed black orchid back over his shoulder.

"You're right I'm just...nervous" he admitted,

Ebony sighed and sat back in her seat. She was also a cat Faunus, but instead of cat ears, she had a long silky tail that trailed out behind her. It often twitched and moved as if it had a mind of its own. Roy had learned to predict her moods based on the movement of her tail, saving him from walking into many a conversation blind. Unlike Roy she didn't hide her faunus trait, letting her tail stand out proudly.

She had been named for her hair which was deep rich black. She'd added purple highlights which helped further accentuate the lovely deep green color of her eyes. The only thing spoiling her otherwise pristine visage were the dark circles under her eyes; a byproduct of the many sleepless nights she had endured. She stood about 5' 8" in height, almost three inches taller than Roy.

"You look tired" Roy observed.

Ebony crossed her arms and blew out a sigh "How else should I look?" she asked, peeved. "Gods know I haven't exactly been getting enough sleep lately"

Roy nodded "I hope that changes when we get to Beacon, otherwise you'll get sick and-"

"That reminds me" Ebony cut across Roy's warning, "Some guy got motion sick and threw up over by the window, so watch your step"

Roy ignored the obvious subject change and grinned at her, "bringing back any memories?" he asked mischievously.

Ebony's tail twitched in irritation, "I never threw up on our trip from Atlas" she stated frostily.

Roy's grin widened "Not that you ever admitted to me" he quipped.

Ebony got up in a huff and walked primly over to the window. Roy continued grinning as he watched her go, remembering the long journey that had preceded their current situation.

He and Ebony had walked from Sierra's house in Atlas to the port on the edge of the city where they caught a ship to Vale. Roy had hidden the sword in a wrapped bundle and tucked it down the back of his coat to avoid suspicion. No one had been any the wiser and they boarded the ship without incident.

The trip across the sea had gone well except for Ebony getting violently seasick, a fact she vehemently denied to anyone who asked.

After arriving in in the city they had learned the time of one of Beacon Academy's rigorous entrance exams. Roy passed all of the combat sections of the exam with flying colors, but didn't fare as well in the written test. Ebony on the other hand had cleared both with top marks.

Having passed the exam, they had spent the remainder of the summer waiting until the beginning of the next semester.

Back on the transport Roy got up from his seat and walked over to the window to stand next to Ebony, she gripped his arm and laid her head on his shoulder.

"When we get to Beacon we can meet new people and make new allies, sounds like fun right?" she asked,

Roy remained silent so she whapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Right?" she asked more forcefully,

"Right!" Roy said, _at least I hope so_ he thought.

The transport suddenly broke through a cloud bank and there, drifting through the clouds like a magical kingdom, the soaring spire and lush courtyard of Beacon Academy came into view. The whimsical building was beautifully haloed by the blue of the sky and the lush green of the surrounding country. It looked like a dream, like something too good to be true. Roy directed Ebony's attention toward the stunning sight and they shared a quiet moment together, contemplating what wonders and dangers the future had in store for them.

 **Whooo Doggies, sorry about the shorter chapter, I promise I'll have more for you guys soon! Stay sane!**


	4. Chapter 3:MeetingsSleeping Arrangements

"Shiroi Arashi, Hunter Zant, Dahlia Shino and Ebony Winterhold, you four successfully retrieved the white bishop pieces. From this day you shall be known as Team SHDE...Led by Shiroi Arashi"

Ozpin finished and the newly formed team SHDE took their seats. Roy looked down the row at his new teammates.

Of course there was Ebony, beaming and wearing a long coat to hide her tail, Roy had suggested she wear the coat so that whoever they met would judge them solely on who they were instead of what they were. Still he could tell it was uncomfortable for her as she shifted position and fidgeted but she still looked happy.

Next to her was the smallest member of the new team: Dahlia, who stood at a diminutive 4' 9" She had dirty blonde hair and her eyes were a pretty shade of grey blue that gleamed when she was excited which was pretty much always.

Next in line was Hunter, the largest of the group coming in at around 6' 4" he had brown hair and brown eyes. The heavy fighter of the group, Hunter was a very gentle and stoic person, he was intelligent and a natural born strategist.

Settling back into his seat, Roy thought back to the eventful morning...

The opening exam for Beacon had been...interesting to say the least. They had been told to retrieve relics from the forest temple and return to the cliff they were currently standing on. Then, one by one they were launched off the cliff into the forest.

Roy had smashed through a small tree, using his semblance to absorb the impact. He directed the impact to his hand and used it to smash through the next tree. The impacts slowed his momentum enough that by the next tree he'd been able to grab a thicker branch and swing around it like a gymnast, effectively killing his momentum entirely.

He'd dropped to the ground and had torn through the forest. Not slowing to a leisurely pace until he'd almost collided with Ebony.

Afterwards they had been relatively at ease except for the occasional grim encounter. For some unknown reason, they seemed to attract mainly King Taijitu.

After the second giant snake ambushed them Ebony had decided to scale a nearby tree and get their bearings. Roy had been walking slowly backwards, looking upward into the tree when he had he bumped into something, or rather someone; a girl wearing a green cowl.

she had squealed in surprise and Roy had nearly jumped out of his skin.

From the bushes behind the girl a large young man had emerged, his weapon drawn. Ebony had slid down the tree and landed next to Roy, she'd slid faster than she should have and had torn up her hands, which the girl, Dahlia had offered to patch up.

The situation diffused both parties had welcomed each other's company and continued on their way to the forest temple. Ebony walking on the boy's left side and Roy on his right.

The boy, whose name was Hunter, let Dahlia perch on his shoulders and ride along. The two, who were best friends from Atlas who had come to Beacon together, made the journey much more relaxing than it had been before. In fact, the rest of the journey was a happier affair now that both parties had each other to talk to.

Dahlia and Ebony had hit it off especially well and Roy and Hunter had no idea what to talk about so they were both content in listening to the two ladies talk.

When they had reached the forest temple they discovered that the relics were chess pieces. Roy had strode forward and swept up one of the white bishops.

Dahlia had taken the other "so we match" she said with a grin.

From there, they had made their way back to the cliffs and arrived just as the sun began to dip toward the west...

As Ozpin finished the remaining team assignments, Roy and the rest of the team stood up and Roy addressed his new teammates.

"So, want to head to our room?" he asked.

Three yeses later, Team SHDE was exiting the hall. Their destination was the room that the four of them would share for the next four years.

:

"Well, this is less than ideal" Ebony remarked.

Team SHDE stood at the door of their new dorm room, Ebony, who was standing on the threshold, had been the first one to see the interior.

"What's wrong?" asked Roy, he had been in the back carrying his and Dahlia's luggage.  
Handing Dahlia's bag back to her he walked forward to look into the room.

Four beds were lined up side by side with a wider space in between to allow access to the window at the back of the room. A bookshelf stood under the window and a pair of dressers against the walls next to the beds. A pair of desks stood next to the dorm room door and a solitary door on the left hand wall lead to a bathroom, complete with a small shower.

Roy's brow furrowed "What's the problem here?" he asked.

Ebony rolled her eyes "Typical boy, privacy. There's practically none!"

Now it was Roy's turn to roll his eyes. "Where was this need for privacy last night?" he asked.

The night before the opening exam all of the new students had spent the night in the lunch hall, boys and girls.

"That was for the night!" Ebony said defensively.

Dahlia took this moment to chime in, "I can see where Ebony's coming from and it would be nice for us ladies to have some privacy aside from the bathroom."

Roy tried his best to hide a smile from the two ladies "Okay, me and Hunter will think of something".

An hour of moving beds and rigging up a curtain later, they finally figured out an arrangement that suited both parties.

The beds had been stacked into bunk beds, which gave the room significantly more elbow room. In the middle of the newly liberated space they had rigged a rope running from above the window across the room and fastening above the door. Using several extra bed sheets they had fashioned a large curtain which hung in the middle of the room splitting it into halves, granting the privacy needed while also being easy enough to take down when they wanted to talk and hangout.

Roy looked at Ebony "Mission accomplished?" he asked,

she grinned softly and nodded.

:

After the room renovation, the team settled down for the evening.

Ebony glanced around at them then cleared her throat. "Ahem, how about we go around and say a little something about ourselves, I'll start"

she stood, straightening her coat tails. She smiled and began to speak, "My name is Ebony Winterhold, I'm an Atlas Native, born and raised. I've come to Beacon Academy to learn how to better protect people"

she swiftly sat again. Roy saw her grimace slightly and adjust her weight, _she must have sat on her tail._ he thought.

Hunter was the next to stand and speak "I'm Hunter, I grew up in the south of Atlas, I came to Beacon to improve my fighting against creatures of grim."

Hunter slowly sank back into sitting position and shot a glance at Dahlia.

She grinned and practically shot off the floor. "My name is Dahlia, but you can call me Lia for short. I hail from the northern edge of Atlas, and I came to Beacon Academy because someone once protected me from danger and I want to do the same for others"

Ebony looked puzzled "if you two don't mind me asking," she began, "Why didn't you attend Atlas Academy instead of traveling halfway across Remnant to come to Vale?"

Dahlia laughed "Well it's because I'd always wanted to travel and go to a school outside my country."

Ebony nodded then looked at Hunter who refuse to meet Ebony's questioning gaze, choosing to look at the floor in front of him and blush "I came because I wanted to be with Dahlia, our families have been feuding for years. My father would never approve and Vale was far enough away."

Ebony grinned broadly at this statement and settled back in a satisfactory manner.

Dahlia turned to Roy, who sighed and stood "My name is Shiroi Arashi but you can call me Roy. I'm from Atlas and I came to Beacon because…" he slid the hood off his head, revealing his cat ears. He heard Dahlia gasp, but continued regardless "I'm a former member of the White Fang, I left after seeing what we'd...they'd become. they need to be stopped, but I can't do it by myself. I need people like you...people who are willing to protect others."

Dahlia and Hunter were quiet, their facial expressions were difficult to read and it was impossible to gauge exactly what was running through their minds.

Dahlia moved first as she slowly stood and walked over to Roy. As she looked him in the eye, her face took on a look as though she was trying to remember something.

She slowly reached up and touched one of his ears with her fingertips. it twitched in response to her touch and she pulled her hand away, backing slowly away from him, and sitting back in her spot,

Hunter shot a questioning look at Dahlia, then returned his gaze to Roy

"Dahlia's family has had a tragic history with the White Fang…" Hunter began but Dahlia set her tiny hand on his thigh and softly shook her head

An awkward silence stretched on for an agonizing amount of time.

"so…." Dahlia began. She looked at Ebony "Did you know about…" she mimed touching ears on her head.

Ebony nodded and dropped the coat from her shoulders, allowing her tail to stand up and wave proudly.

Dahlia face brightened with a surprised smile. "That is so cool!" she exclaimed "You two are made for each other!"

Ebony started to mumble about them not being a couple and Dahlia simply rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, you guys like board games?" she asked.

They nodded and Dahlia got up and retrieved her knapsack from where it sat by the door, rummaging inside she brought out a long box with the words "Remnant: The Board Game" embossed on the side in red lettering. She brought it back over to the circle and set it down.

"You had that in your bag the whole time in the forest?" Ebony asked, dumbfounded.

Dahlia shrugged, "you never know when you'll get bored" she said with a cheeky wink, "Have you guys ever played this game before?"

Roy and Ebony shook their heads and Dahlia proceeded to tell them the rules and start up a game.

As the game progressed Roy could feel his heart lightening, He hadn't felt this at home with a group of people in a long time and, for now at least, he was happy.

 **Anyone else wish there was an actual version of Remnant: the Board Game? I sure do. Hope you guys are enjoying the new Tales of Remnant, It's been a long road with editing and I'm still not done, but I had enough edited that ya'll could enjoy the fruits of my labor XD. until the next time!**


	5. Chapter 4: Moonlit Chat

The room that Team SHDE inhabited was at the top of the dorm building and the wide flat roof was only a short but perilous climb away.

Whenever he was having trouble sleeping or was awoken at night by one of his night terrors, Roy often climbed up to stare at the stars.

One night, as Roy quietly gazed into the sky he heard quiet footsteps approaching from behind him.

Turning, he saw Dahlia standing there regarding him with a curious look on her face. It was the same look from earlier, that "I can't remember something important" kind of look.

She was wearing black pajamas with a pattern of red snowflakes, her hair was down and mousy from being in bed.

She yawned, "Can't sleep this morning?" she asked.

Roy checked the clock on his scroll; it was almost 2:00 in the morning.

He smiled sheepishly at her. "I'm sorry I woke you up" he said apologetically.

She walked over and sat next to him "You didn't...I just wake up around this time once and awhile" she wiped sleep from her eyes and grinned at him, "Why are you up?"

Roy looked away "I...have…"

"Night terrors?" She asked.

Roy nodded "Not all the time, not as many as I used to."

Dahlia looked at him curiously "If you don't mind me asking...what caused them?"

Roy chewed his lip, "I'd rather not say"

Dahlia swiftly turned away "You're right, that's really personal. I'm sorry."

There was silence for several minutes then Dahlia spoke. "I...originally lived in Atlas too, me, my sister and my parents. My dad worked for the big dust company and would come home every day tired from his day at work, But we were happy. Then one night, the White Fang came for my father. They herded my family out of our house into the front lawn. They took my father's work files and started beating him savagely." Dahlia took a shaky breath and continued. "My mother tried to stop them but they HIT her." she ground out the word.

Roy's eyes widened, in the back of his mind memories were stirring, a house in the Atlas suburbs, a bull and a shot to the arm….

He shook his head to clear it as Dahlia continued. "I was so angry," she said thickly "I wanted to hurt them, I wanted to make them sorry, but I couldn't!"

Angry tears were dripping down her face. "A couple of days later we got the news that my father had...been found…dead" her voice caught, "The White Fang had murdered my father, my mother was terrified of course. She sent me and my sisters to live in Mistral with her family. She's forbidden us to return to Atlas until the people who killed my father are brought to justice. The White Fang, in one fell swoop, took away my father and my home, I want them all to pay!" she smashed her fist into the cold stone of the rooftop.

Roy was taken aback; he'd never heard so much hate in her voice before.

Dahlia scrubbed her hand across her eyes. "I'm sorry" she said, "I keep this hate deep down but it just keeps coming back."

Roy studied her for a couple seconds "Why are you telling me this? I wouldn't share my past."

Dahlia sniffed, "Because you're a faunus, a good one and I want you as a friend, but I needed to let this out"

Roy stood and faced Dahlia, "Then let it out" he said.

She looked confused, "What?"

Roy sighed, "Let out your anger on me. I was with the White Fang, you want to hurt them? Hurt me, I can take it."

Dahlia shook her head, "No, I won't."

Roy frowned "Are you going to be a coward like your father?" he asked.

The words disgusted him, but he knew that as long as Dahlia kept her feelings locked up, they could never truly be friends. His aim was to push Dahlia past her breaking point, and it was working.

Dahlia recoiled at the harsh words "He was brave to the end...they told me…"

"Your father died begging for his life like a do-"

Dahlia cut him off with a swift kick to the stomach. Roy didn't use his semblance, choosing instead to tense his stomach muscles. Dahlia followed the kick with two swift punches to his ribs. He took a step backwards and fought back a cough. Dahlia kicked the side of his knee and the leg collapsed causing Roy to fall to one knee.

His face now on her level Dahlia punched him twice as hard as she could. She grabbed his shirt collar and brought her hand back for one more blow. She was breathing hard, tears streaming down her face.

"Why!?" She cried, launching the blow into Roy's cheek, "We never did anything to you!"

Roy new she wasn't addressing him specifically. To her, he was the embodiment of the White fang and she was letting out all of her feelings on him.

Dahlia slumped dejectedly, her head held low. "Why didn't you leave us in peace?" she whispered.

Roy closed his eyes sadly, he didn't have an answer.

"I'm so sorry" he said quietly.

Dahlia' eyes widened and she gasped, releasing his collar and taking several steps back. Her hand covering her mouth. "I...I...You?"

Roy nodded and slowly swept his bangs to the side, giving Dahlia a clear look at his eyepatch and facial scars.

She reached up and touched his ears softly.

He smiled sadly and twitched his ears at her.

The tears welled up once more and she threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Roy repeated. awkwardly patting her back "I'm so sorry."

The sky had started to lighten to the dusty pink of dawn before Dahlia finally got her emotions under control.

Roy disengaged himself from Dahlia's arms and slid to the roof with a bump.

Dahlia joined him and dried her eyes. "How am I going to explain you to Hunter and Ebony?" she wondered aloud.

Roy grinned and activated his aura. Allowing it to heal the cut on his cheek and his split lip. "Don't worry about it, if they ask I'll say I tripped."

Dahlia stifled a laugh, "No, they'll see right through that."

Roy winced as he brushed the bruise forming on his cheek "Yes, but Hunter will ask you about it and Ebony will ask me about it. Therefore we get to each explain to our respective friends."

Dahlia nodded "That'll work"

The two of them sat together, quietly enjoying each other's company. it seemed like minutes, but was actually hours later when the sun finally broke over the horizon spilling its rich golden light across Beacon.

Roy stood up and brushed himself off, "Well, we should get back to the room, Ebony gets nervous when she wakes up and I'm not there."

Dahlia smirked at him. "Uh Huh" she said smugly.

Roy ruffled her hair "Shush, we're not dating."

"Hmph" Dahlia huffed.

Roy rolled his eyes, "Are you and Hunter a thing?"

Dahlia blushed and nodded, "We've been dating since prep school."

"Nice." There was a short pause between the two of them, then...

"Are we good?" Roy asked.

Dahlia nodded "We're good"

 **This chapter took several rewrites before finally settling into the format is in now. It is one of my favorites and is a nice foreshadowing to future chapters! Hope Ya'll stick around  
Until next we meet!**


	6. Chapter 5: of Eggs and Sausages

An orange sun rose a few days later casting a beautiful red tinged light over Beacon as Roy walked over to the dining hall.

Entering, he sat down and grabbed a sausage patty and some eggs, heaping all of this onto a piece of toast.

He was just about to take a bite when he heard a small commotion coming from the dish return.

Glancing over, he saw Ebony surrounded by some of the resident jocks. They were catcalling and jeering and Roy almost went back to his breakfast knowing Ebony could handle herself. But at that moment, one of them reached over and tugged on her tail, hard and she flinched visibly.

Roy's blood boiled and he jumped up and strode over. He forced his way through the circle of jeering boys to Ebony's side. "Okay guys party's over"

He felt someone shove him from behind ,"Aww piss off mate"

he turned to see the person who had shoved him was also the one who had pulled Ebony's tail. Roy frostily took Ebony's plate and placed it in the dish return.

Turning, he started to escort Ebony back to his table when the guy who shoved him placed his hand forcibly on Roy's shoulder. "Hold on lover boy, we're not done with your girlfriend yet..."

That was as far as he got. Roy spun around and pinned the boy against the wall.

Wrenching the boy's arm behind his back, he grabbed the boy's pointer finger and snapped it. The boy's yell was muffled by Roy's shoulder.

"Listen here you little shit" Roy growled "If you or your buddies touch this lady again, I'll break more than your finger next time"

Releasing the whimpering boy, Roy turned and led Ebony to his seat, sat her down across from him and then proceeded to finish his breakfast.

"Thanks"

he looked up at Ebony as she spoke "Don't mention it" he said.

"I could have handled it" she said

"I know" he replied.

He took another bite of his breakfast then noticed Ebony smiling, all of a sudden she burst out laughing.

"What?" he questioned

"You HEEHEE actually said. HAHAHA L-Listen here yo-you little shit, AHAHAHAHA!"

Roy attempted to give her a stern look but couldn't stop the grin that appeared instead.

The grin did not reach the back of his mind where thoughts of what had occurred lingered, _Why can't we just be treated like equals_ he thought forlornly. No answer came to mind.

Ebony suddenly stopped laughing and straightened her face, flicking her eyes over Roy's shoulder, a silent signal signal telling him to look around.

When he did, he found himself face to face with Glynda Goodwitch: the deputy headmistress of Beacon.

"Professor Ozpin would like to see you in his office" she said brusquely.

Roy's heart skipped a beat, if Ozpin wanted to see him he must really be in trouble.

He nodded then stood and followed Prof. Goodwitch out of the dining hall. They walked down the hallway until they reached an elevator.

Glynda pressed the button then stood beside the door. "Prof. Ozpin is expecting you."

Roy nodded and stepped into the elevator.

Prof. Ozpin's office was at the top of Beacon tower and the elevator ride took about a minute and a half to reach the top. As the door opened Roy gulped and removed his hood, letting his ears stand up straight. Stepping out of the elevator he walked forward.

Ozpin was sitting at his desk, a video file playing in front of him. Glancing up, he noticed Roy

"Ah Mr. Arashi, please have a seat" he said warmly.

Roy sat down on the offered chair; he must have sat down rather stiffly as Ozpin let out a chuckle. "Don't worry Roy I'm not angry with you."

Roy relaxed slightly and Ozpin turned the video file around so Roy could watch it.

It was the incident with the boys in the dining hall. "Although I sympathize with you I unfortunately cannot condone you going after every bully in my school."

Roy nodded. He noticed an odd twinkle in the headmaster's eye. "What?" he asked defensively.

Ozpin chuckled again " forgive me, I just find it amusing. I had another student in here once who was a faunus. but wanted it kept a secret and here you are not caring who knows."

Roy twitched his ears "I've found it's easier to find the right friends when you show exactly who and what you are, although I usually try to show who I am before I show them what I am."

Ozpin nodded "Most definitely, I should introduce you to a friend of mine sometime."

He settled back into his chair, "You really do remind me of him when he was your age"

Roy was intrigued "Who are you talking about sir?"

Ozpin waved the question away "I'll introduce you someday."

Roy nodded "I'd like that."

Ozpin smiled "You are free to return to the dining hall," he said, "Although, at this point you might want to go to your first class."

Roy nodded again. He stood and walked toward the elevator. He pressed the button, then turned around

"Professor, if I see any human manhandling a Faunus I will intervene" he stated coolly.

"I wouldn't doubt it" Ozpin replied just as coolly.

The elevator arrived and Roy stepped inside. He raised his hood once again obscuring his ears from view.

As the doors of the elevator slid shut he could have sworn the amused twinkle in Ozpin's eye turned to admiration. Roy began his descent, back to the ground and back to the real world.

 **Another Shorter Chapter?! EGODS!**

 **In all seriousness, the Chapters in the beginning of the story have always been slightly shorter, when we get into the beef of the book...well, that's when things get crazy.  
Until next we meet!**


	7. Chapter 6: Discrimi-Nation

The sun shone brightly on a delightful Sunday morning. Roy and the rest of team SHDE had decided to spend their day off in Vale's shopping district, each person in search of something specific.

Roy was looking for a new cartridge box for his belt, the last one having been broken. Hunter was on the lookout for some new bracers, Ebony for some new dust supplies and Dahlia for a new sweater.

The team reached the small square full of shops and decided it would be easier to split up. Ebony and Dahlia going one way and Roy and Hunter going the other.

The boys' first stop was the Vale Armor Emporium for Hunter's bracers. While Hunter was making his selection Roy browsed through a bin of plain hard plastisteel bracers. _One of these might come in handy_ he thought but ultimately didn't buy one. Eventually Hunter signaled him from the counter, signifying that he'd made his purchase.

Exiting the store, Roy's attention was drawn to a group of three youths lounging outside the neighboring store. They wore grey uniforms with white sleeves and had an air of haughty superiority about them. _They must be Atlas students here for the Vytal festival_ he thought dismissively.

One of the youths caught him looking and Roy quickly flicked his gaze away and walked swiftly toward a small corner store called Remnant Sur-plus, a military surplus store that offered extra military items from both the Vale and Atlas militaries.

He entered and made his way to a group of shelves in the back corner. He began looking over the cartridge boxes. The selection was quite good ranging from metal and cloth to stiff weave and plastisteel ones.

As Roy made a bemused noise at the price tag on one with the Schnee Dust company logo on it her heard several pairs of footsteps approaching from behind. He half turned as a hand descended and smacked the ammo pouch out of his hands.

"What are you looking at there one-eye?" one of the youths from earlier asked.

He was very thin, with green eyes and white blonde hair. His features were rather pointed and he was smirking. Roy shot a glance around the shop; Hunter must have lingered inside the emporium as Roy couldn't see him anywhere.

Roy looked the boy coolly in the eye "I was merely looking at you, that isn't illegal I trust" he remarked.

The youth snorted and shot a look over his shoulder at his two companions. "Not that I know of, why are you wearing a hood in the middle of a warm spring day one-eye?"

Roy gritted his teeth, he hated people pointing out his missing eye as it was and this cretin had turned it into a nickname. "I like how it looks" he replied briskly as he bent down to retrieve the cartridge box where it had fallen.

He felt a hand grip his hood and rip it back before he could stop them, revealing his furry cat ears.

Roy swung out with his fist trying to land a hit on the culprit. The boy responsible leaned gracefully backward causing Roy to miss. In an instant the youths descended on him. Roy fought madly, but the combination of it three against one in an enclosed space proved to be his undoing and eventually he ended up with his hands pinned behind his back.

The blonde haired youth let out a nasty chuckle "Well, well, looks like we have cat without a collar wandering the streets"

Roy tried to kick out but the boys pinning his arms twisted cruelly informing him that any further attempts at resistance would be met with further pain.

The blonde took hold of one of Roy's ears and yanked causing him to yell, his eyes watering from the pain. Roy noticed the shopkeep look up from the counter. Roy prayed for rescue, but the prayer died in his mind as the shopkeep returned to flipping through a magazine sitting on the counter, obviously no lover of faunus. The blonde youth released Roy's ear, clearly satisfied with the amount of pain he'd inflicted.

"In Atlas" he began "Your kind wouldn't even think of lashing out at your betters"

Roy spat at the youth and scored a hit on his chest. The youth's face turned white with rage and he let loose with a punch to Roy's cheek. The blow threw Roy's head to the side and his vision flickered. As thin as the boy looked he still packed a hell of a punch.

The youth grabbed his hair and thrust his own face close to Roy's "This may not be Atlas but you're still scum here" he hissed.

Roy grinned "Takes one to know one" The youth hissed hand swung another punch.

This time Roy saw it coming and engaged his aura, the boy's fist collided with his aura with a crack and he gasped in pain holding his hand. Roy had absorbed the impact and flicked one of the boys holding him in the side and re-purposed the energy, breaking one of his ribs with a snap.

The boy yelled and let go of Roy's arm and Roy swung his now free fist into the other boy's face, breaking his thick nose with a satisfying crack.

Now free of his tormentor's clutches, Roy bolted for the door and came flying out into the sunshine. His hood was still down, his hair was disheveled and his lip was just begin to heal from the punch.

He ran a good few blocks from the store before slumping against a wall. _Why….Why are faunus treated like this?_ He slammed his fist into the hard brick of the wall .

A heavy hand fell on his shoulder and he jerked, his fear quelled as he looked up and saw Hunter looking down at him apologetically.

Anger quickly overtook Roy's relief and he bitterly shoved Hunter]]]'s hand away "Where the hell were you?" he spat.

Hunter looked hurt "I…" he began but Roy cut him off "You WHAT? Thought it'd be funny watching the Atlas students beat up the helpless faunus?"

Hunter's face darkened and he shoved his scroll at Roy. Roy looked down to see a recording of the whole altercation play out on the scroll. "What is this?" he growled.

Hunter sighed "It's evidence, in case those morons go whining to their headmaster"  
Roy's ears drooped in shame and passed the scroll back to Hunter. "Why didn't you help me?" he asked quietly. The anger was gone and was replaced by shame and sadness.

Hunter looked at his feet. "If I'd interfered we wouldn't be able to nail these guys, but now that we have this" He held up the scroll "We'll be able to actually do something"

Roy suddenly realized what Hunter meant. His word alone would not hold up against three Atlas students, but with Hunter's video, there was a far better chance of giving the youths exactly what they deserved. He wiped the excess blood from his lip and sighed,

"I'm sorry, you're right" he said "I apologize for doubting you"

Hunter nodded, but still looked hurt. "do you really think so little of me?" He asked sadly.

Roy's gaze fell to the pavement between his feet, "No, I don't...I let my temper talk for me, will you forgive me?"

Hunter gave Roy's shoulder a squeeze, "of course I will. Just remember, not everyone's out to get you"

Roy laughed mirthlessly "Feels like it" he grumbled.

Hunter grinned "Don't worry, I want these guys to pay as much as you do"

Roy nodded "Now we just wait for them to make the next move" he said.

"Come on let's go meet up with the girls" Hunter nodded and chuckled

"What?" Roy asked.

"When Ebony sees you, we might have to stop her from killing those guys"

Roy joined in with a chuckle of his own "Oh yeah, those guys wouldn't stand a chance"

Something was puzzling him and he turned to look at Hunter "I looked for you in the shop. Where were you?" he asked.

Hunter grinned slightly "My semblance is slight control over perception, essentially I can omit myself from you sight. Neat huh?"

Roy nodded "Yeah it is" he said.

Turning down the main avenue, he and Hunter slowly made their way back to the meeting place.

 **I can't imagine pulling on a cat ear like that, Owch! If you guys are enjoying the story leave a review! I know I always have room to improve.  
Until next we meet!**


	8. Chapter 7: Sweet, Sweet Revenge

Hunter had been right.

As soon as Ebony had seen Roy's bruised face, she'd gotten angrier then Roy had ever seen her since...well, ever. She'd practically dragged Roy back to the school, sat him in a chair and shoved an ice pack to his face.

Ebony then proceeded to interrogate Hunter to find out what exactly had happened. Hunter retold the story, using the video as reference. When the video reached the point where the blonde youth had punched Roy, Ebony let out a growl and every hair on her tail stood up, making it look twice as big as it was.

"If I see him, I will kill him" she hissed at Roy, who nodded swiftly around his ice pack. Ebony strode over to Roy and, after pulling his hood down, began to check his ear that had been pulled. "I can't see any external damage" she said.

Upon finishing her inspection, she gave his ear several gentle scratches. Roy's eyes drifted lazily shut and he leaned into her touch, a warm rumbling vibration beginning in his chest.

Dahlia's jaw dropped "No way!" the young huntress exclaimed.

Winry gave her a look "What?" she asked curiously.

Dahlia pressed her ear against Roy's chest, causing him to jump. "You never told me cat faunus could purr!"

Her face looked as if they'd been hiding the secret to eternal youth from her. Ebony laughed at Dahlia's betrayed look and laughed harder at the blush turning Roy's face a deep crimson.

The culprits wasted no time in going to their headmaster and two days later Roy was summoned to the headmaster's office.

As he waited in the elevator his hand drifted into his pocket, where Hunter's scroll resided. It was his key piece of evidence and he really couldn't thank Hunter enough for it.

The elevator doors rumbled open, revealing General James Ironwood, Glynda Goodwitch and the three youths from earlier that week all standing in front of the desk. Behind which, accompanied by his usual cup of hot chocolate, sat Ozpin.

"Thank you for coming Mr. Arashi" Ozpin began "General Ironwood has brought it to my attention that three of his students claimed you attacked them"

Roy shot a glance at the youths. The one he'd flicked was nursing a bandage wrapped around his side and the other had his nose all done up in masking tape and gauze. The Blonde was unharmed as far as Roy could tell and was sneering at him.

 _You idiot_ Roy thought Y _ou're so sure you're going to get away with this aren't you?_

Roy turned back to Ozpin "I'm sorry to correct you sir but that's not what happened at all"

The blonde boy grew angry "Are you calling me a liar one-eye?!" he snarled.

Roy regarded him coolly "Yes, I guess I am" he said coldly. Fishing into his pocket for the scroll, he keyed in the passcode and set it on top of the desk.

The scroll wirelessly linked to the holoscreen atop the desk and the three teachers gathered around to watch the recording of the altercation. Roy watched their faces closely to see if he could judge their reactions.

Ironwoods face grew harder and harder as the recording went on, while Ozpin's face remained impassive. Roy knew better then to take this lack of emotion as apathy.

Glynda's reaction surprised him slightly. She was gripping the edge of the desk and though she attempted to keep her face impassive a red tinge was creeping over her face.

On the video, Roy bolted out of the shop, out of frame and the recording ended.

For a long time there was silence, then Ironwood strode around the desk and stood in front of Roy.

"May I offer my deepest apologies, I'm shocked and appalled that students of mine would conduct themselves in such a vulgar and despicable manner" he rounded on the three culprits "Baines, Marcus, Ramirez I hereby place you on permanent suspension pending a formal hearing. I should warn you that it is likely you will be expelled for this breach of conduct"

The two bigger boys looked stunned but the Blonde one stayed defiant glowering at Roy past Ironwood.

Roy interjected "Sir, might I make a request?"

Ironwood began to say that he had it handled, but Ozpin raised his hand "One moment James, I'd like to hear this"

Ironwood fell silent and looked at Roy

"I want to fight him" Roy said pointing at the Blonde one.

Ironwood snorted "How does that do anything other than settle your little grudge?" he asked.

Roy nodded "Allow me to explain. I want to face him in single combat, no weapons and no aura or semblances, just fists and feet. If he wins, allow them to stay on at your school. If I win…." Roy's gaze turned ice cold "Expel them. With the evidence I've presented a formal hearing is just a waste of time, I can solve all that by doing it the old fashioned way"

Ozpin smiled slowly "I like it. James, what do you think?"

Ironwood looked Roy up and down "I don't see why not, it'll give me a chance to see if Baines is worth keeping"

Ozpin stood and grabbed his cane "Excellent, boys, please follow us to the sparring grounds"

Ozpin and Glynda stepped into the elevator and beckoned to Roy to join them. He hesitated for a second before finally joining his headmaster and deputy headmistress in the elevator. "The lift will be back up promptly James" Ozpin said with a smile as the doors slid shut.

Ozpin turned to Roy "I've never seen you fight hand to hand" he said bemused.

Glynda looked at Roy "I have, he's...good, he has room for improvement definitely, but the skill is there "

Roy grinned softly to himself; That almost sounded like a compliment from the deputy headmistress.

The doors of the lift rumbled open and Roy was surprised to see Ebony standing outside of the elevator

"Oh, good evening Ms. Winterhold" Ozpin said cheerily "I would advise you to follow us; Mr. Arashi here is going to settle a dispute"

Ebony nodded and fell in next to Roy.

Eventually the lift dinged and the doors slid open revealing Ironwood and the three youths. The blonde had regained some of his swagger and he held his chin up as he walked past Ebony and Roy.

Roy winced as Ebony gripped his hand tightly. Something brushed his leg and, looking behind her he saw her tail thrashing furiously. She was angry.

Roy squeezed her hand back and followed after Ozpin and Glynda. They soon reached the sparring arena room and filed inside. Several students were currently using the arena but a brisk clap from Glynda signalled them to get out.

Roy walked to the center of the ring after ditched his uniform jacket and vest and rolled up the sleeves of the white undershirt. He watched as Baines did the same, pulling his black tie off and flinging it to the sidelines.

"You're going to regret this" The other boy spat.

"Probably not" Roy said coolly twitching his ears at the hot collared youth.

They took up their positions and waited for Glynda to begin the fight,

"Let's keep this fight somewhat civilised, shall we?" the deputy Headmistress said sharply "No gouging, below the belt or scratching. Are you ready?" she asked. The combatants nodded and Glynda raised her hand "Begin!" she exclaimed, bringing her hand slashing downwards.

Baines immediately charged Roy with a wild yell, swinging at him with a wild roundhouse punch. Roy gracefully leaned back and let the punch sail by him. Baines recovered and launched another punch, aimed at Roy's gut. Roy sidestepped and once again allowed the blow to miss. Baines swung his leg at Roy who ducked and brought his hand sailing around in a resounding smack to the boys face. The youth reeled slightly clutching his cheek. He charged Roy again with a yell and launched punch after punch at the faunus. Roy in turn dodged or deflected every single blow and once again smacked Baines across the face. The youth let out a sound of rage and launched a solid Haymaker at Roy's Jaw.

"Fight me like you mean it dammit!" he cried, a slight squeak of panic edging into his voice.

Roy caught the punch with his hand, causing a smack to sound through the arena. "If you insist" he said allowing a slight purr to enter his voice.

The Atlas student blanched at the faunus' apparent glee and Roy released Baines' hand. He began his own assault, opening with a fierce jab at the boy's face. He connected with a slight thud causing Baines to recoil. The boy tried to recover, but Roy was not about to let that happen, sending his other hand in an open palm strike to the chest. Baines staggered backwards, letting out a stream of expletives. Finding his footing, Baines pushed off with his left foot, trying to connect with his desperate punch. Roy caught the punch again and let loose a solid punch into the boys nose. Roy secretly reveled at the resulting snap of that perfect pointed nose breaking. He launched himself into a spin as he brought his foot around to catch Baines across the face with a devastating kick that knocked the youth down.

Baines scrabbled at the ground with his hand clutching his nose,

"I surrender! Please!" he yelled.

Roy let his guard down and walked forward to help his opponent up.

As he drew near Baines kicked out and caught Roy below the belt. Roy gasped and doubled over just in time for Baines to kick him in the face. He reeled back as Baines charged with a triumphant yell. but Roy recovered and head-butted the charging Baines full in the chin. Baines staggered back and Roy seized his collar.

"When you think back to this day" Roy growled "Remember that it was a faunus that knocked you on your ass"

Winding up, Roy sent his fist slamming into the youth's face one final time. Baines went limp and Roy dropped him to the mat, out cold. Roy staggered and sank into a sitting position in the middle of the arena.

He shot a glance at the small party of onlookers.

Ozpin nodded in approval and turned and walked out of the arena room and (Roy presumed) back to his office. Glynda straightened her glasses primly, Roy could have sworn he saw a flicker of satisfaction in her green eyes. Before he could confirm this, the deputy headmistress turned and followed Ozpin out of the sparring room.

Ironwood set his jaw and turned to the two injured youths "As soon as we get back to Atlas, you and your friend will pack your things and get out of my school" He turned and nodded swiftly to Roy before stalking out of the room.

Ebony stood with her arms crossed "He never stood a chance did he?" she asked, nodding at Baines still form in the ring.

Roy shook his head "I could tell from that first punch back in the shop, he had little to no technique, he may have had training but he had no form, Huntsmen sharpen their skills through repeated use. if I had to guess I would say he'd prepare enough for exams, but otherwise let his two "buddies" do all of his dirty work. He's weak on his own"

Ebony snorted "So in essence, you knew you were going to win before you even suggested the fight" Roy nodded and Ebony gave him a look he couldn't quite interpret "You have a mean streak Shiroi Arashi" she said "and I like it" she finished before turning and gracefully exiting the room.

 **HAHAA take that you Draco Malfoy looking MoFo! This chapter was extremely satisfying to write as you can probably tell. I can't stand bullies.  
Until next we meet!**


	9. Chapter 8: Dancing

Roy was in denial.

That was what Dahlia said anyway. It's just...he couldn't have a romantic feelings for Ebony...could he?

The conversation started after Dahlia claimed she'd caught Roy gazing wistfully at Ebony as she walked by, multiple times.

"Come on!" Dahlia exclaimed, banging her hand on the table, "you're telling me you've never had feelings for her?"

Roy rolled his eyes, "I did...a long time ago, it was a teenage crush,Nothing more-"

"HA!" Dahlia interrupted his explanation, "so you do admit you had feelings for her!" she poised dramatically pointing at him from across the dorm room.

Roy raised his hands defensively "A long time ago!" her reiterated "and they weren't reciprocated!"

Dahlia grinned "as far as you know" she singsonged.

Roy crossed his arms huffily "what is that supposed to mean?" he grumbled.

"Only that boys are the worst at noticing subtle feelings, and Ebony is nothing if not subtle" Dahlia quipped.

Roy thought for a minute and the more he thought about it, the more he began to see. But he wanted a second opinion, "how so?"

Dahlia rolled her eyes "let's see, the fact that she always wants to be near you, the way she looks sad whenever you're out of the room for more than ten minutes, the way she always leans on your arm when she's tired…." she counted off on her fingers "Oh and how protective she is of you"

Roy blinked, Dahlia was more perceptive than he was. "Well maybe that's only because she considers us extra close" he reasoned "we've been through a lot together"

Dahlia gave him a look "don't think you're getting out of this either"

Roy's ears shot backwards "W-what?" he stammered, confused.

Dahlia held up her other hand threateningly and began to count on her fingers once more "The way you wait for her after every class so you can walk with her, the way you offer to carry her book bag, the way you are also protective of her, the way you let her lean her head on your shoulder...sometimes for hours, the way you look at her when you think the rest of us aren't looking….need I go on?" she gave him a sweet smile.

Roy's face had turned a deep cherry red as Dahlia listed off all the little things he did. "T-that still proves nothing!" he said shakily "it literally could just be that we're close!"

Dahlia threw up her hands "fine I'll yield that point" she huffed, before swinging her finger to point right in Roy's face "But I won't believe you've never wanted to-"

They froze as the door clicked and swung open, revealing Hunter standing there. "Hey guys" he said, one eyebrow raised "what're you doing?" he asked taking in the sight of Dahlia poised with her finger practically booping Roy on the nose.

Dahlia clapped happily "Hunter! Your timing is impeccable"

Hunter barely had time to say "it is?" before he was pulled over to the bed and forced to sit across from the increasingly embarrassed Roy.

Dahlia stood between them looking quite pleased with herself "Hunter I was just trying to convince Roy here that he and Ebony are madly in love"

Hunter rolled his eyes "you're exaggerating-" he said matter-of-factly.

Roy jumped up "See?!" he exclaimed.

Hunter held up his hand "I didn't finish, while I do think that Lia is exaggerating, it is pretty obvious that you have feelings for Ebony"

Roy slumped back down to the bed as Dahlia laughed in triumph. "But...what if she doesn't feel the same?" he mumbled "I don't want to lose what we have over a failed romantic coupling"

Dahlia sat next to Hunter and cuddled his arm "that's always the risk we have to take when revealing our feelings" she said, "in this case though I don't think you have to worry"

Roy smiled wanly "I'll worry anyway" he said.

Hunter watched Roy for a moment "might I propose a test run of sorts?" he asked.

Roy cocked his head "how do you mean?" he asked.

Hunter reached into his school uniform pocket and pulled out a folded flier. Unfolding it, he showed it to Dahlia, then handed it to Roy. The flier was light blue and had a stylized drawing of a dancing couple placed under the words "Beacon Academy Annual Social Dance"

Dahlia gave Hunter a quick kiss "this is a wonderful idea!" she exclaimed.

Hunter smiled "I was originally going to ask just you, but I think this will be a good place for Roy to "test the waters" so to speak"

Roy scanned the flier "I guess I'll ask Ebony when she gets back from her workout-"

"ask me what?" Ebony asked as she walked through the door. She was wearing a red top and blue shorts. The neck of the tank top was visibly darkened by perspiration and her forehead glistened with sweat. |

"O-Oh...uh I" Roy stammered, fumbling the flier

"Would you look at the time!" Dahlia interjected "Hunter and I have to go...do things" She darted to the door with Hunter following, she shut it behind them, but not before she looked back at Roy and mouthed "good luck" before winking and ducking out of sight.

Roy stood to face Ebony, his hands were shaking slightly as he held the flier out to her "So...uh….I was thinking...that is I was hoping that you'd do me the honor of attending the social dance with me on Saturday?"

Ebony blinked in surprise as she accepted the flier, Roy fiddled with his hands as she scanned the folder,

"I would love to" she said with a smile "I'm glad you didn't ask me at the last minute" she continued as she set the flier on her bed and began gathering clothes for a shower, "I don't actually have a dress to wear"

Roy nodded "I don't really have anything acceptable either"

Ebony smiled as she fished a clean shirt from her chest of draws "well then I guess we both have shopping to do" giving Roy one last smile, Ebony disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door. A few seconds later the water started running and Roy settled down on his bed. Before he knew it his eyes had begun to droop.

 _Why is asking girls out so...exhausting_ he thought just before drifting off.

He was rudely awakened a few minutes later by a camera shutter sound effect. He slid his eye open to see Ebony standing over him, looking proudly at her scroll "Ebony, what are you doing?"

Ebony almost dropped her scroll "Roy! Oh….I...well" she sighed and held her scroll out to Roy. He took it and scanned it. A photo of himself greeted his questioning gaze.

He was asleep and curled up in a relaxed ball; his knees drawn up and his hands laying relaxed next to his face. His features were frozen in the most peaceful expression he'd ever seen, his mouth open slightly and his eyes, rather than being scrunched were delicately closed. His hair splayed out under his head framing his pale face nicely against the red Beacon comforter.

Ebony fidgeted, clearly embarrassed by the picture. Roy handed the scroll back "Do you like watching me sleep?" he asked, trying and failing to hide a smile.

Ebony's embarrassment turned to indignation "No! You just….looked so peaceful and I wanted to…"

Roy held up his hand "Ebony I'm not upset, just one thing?"

Ebony looked up hopefully "what?" she asked.

Roy rubbed sleep from his eyes and yawned, "do me a favor and never show that to Dahlia, she'll never stop telling me how cute I am when I sleep"

Ebony's eyes took on a evil gleam "no promises" she said before darting out the dorm room door. "Oh no you don't!" Roy cried chasing after her. Back in the room, the blue flier sat, temporarily forgotten on the bed. A slight breeze from the open window flipped it over revealing a small question written in Ebony's handwriting:

"Do I love him?"

:

Several times during the day before the dance, Roy had thought about running away and hiding under the biggest rock he could find.

It wasn't that he didn't want to dance with Ebony but the prospect terrified him. His trip the week before to find something to wear had distracted him for the most part. After a little searching, he'd picked up a white button up shirt, a black vest. black jeans and black Constar sneakers. He had replaced his normal black eye patch with a red cloth one and topped the look off with a red tie, and black cotton gloves.

As Roy walked toward the ballroom he briefly fiddled with the tie before taking a deep breath and walking inside. It was time to face the music; literally.

He was a tad late so the dancing had already started. Couples weaved across the dance floor, twirling and swaying like leaves in a gale. He gazed around, looking for Ebony before finally spotting her by the punch bowl. His heart skipped a beat.

The dress Ebony wore was a deep blue that faded to green as the hem fell to just above her feet. Her arms were graced by white dancing gloves and her hair was drawn up in a tight bun.

Roy did his best to breathe again and, steeling his courage, he walked over to stand next to her and cleared his throat. "Having a good time so far?" he asked.

Ebony turned and when she saw him her eyes lit up and her jaw dropped, "Roy, you look...stunning!" she managed.

Roy blushed all the way to his human ear tips. He was finding it hard not to stare, Ebony standing there in her beautiful dress looked so...

"Beautiful"

Ebony blushed and looked away quickly, smiling to herself. Roy suddenly realized he'd said the last word out loud. He swiftly directed his attention into the sea of dancing students.

He soon spotted Hunter dancing with Dahlia. It was a sight to behold with 6' 4" Hunter leaning down to dance with 4' 9" Dahlia. Seeing the two of them cleared the cobwebs from Roy's head. Grabbing a cup of punch, he drained it and turned to Ebony "Ebony Winterhold may I have this dance?"

She turned to him, looking slightly taken aback but pleased. After a couple agonizing seconds she smiled. "Of course you can" she said, offering her hand.

He took it and whisked her onto the dance floor. The song was a medium tempo one allowing them to gently weave around the room. "This is nice" he said, she grinned triumphantly. "I knew you would like it"

Roy smiled "you do look beautiful"

Roy blushed slightly, the words had just slipped out. Ebony turned red and smiled wider "Well, you look rather dashing yourself"

Roy's face turned the same shade of red as Ebony's and he smiled back. He heard a quiet giggle coming from his right, looking over, he spotted Dahlia and Hunter dancing beside him and Ebony. "What?" he asked.

"You two are both blushing and dancing, it's almost too cute for words" Dahlia squealed.

That is when what he was doing truly hit him, he was dancing...with Ebony. His heart began to beat faster and his fight or flight response kicked in. He blushed and excused himself. Walking over to the punch bowl he poured himself another glass and took another drink.

 _Come on Roy don't freak out, you can do this. You're just dancing…..with Ebony_ he thought to himself. Turning back to the dance floor, he scanned the crowd searching for Ebony. He caught sight of her standing opposite him across the sea of dancing students.

After he left her, she must have moved to the side as to be out of the way. She looked happy, but bemused as if she was expecting his sudden flight. He took a deep breath and walked across the busy dance floor, dodging couples left and right.

He offered her his hand "Pardon me" he said quietly, "I lost my head there; I would love to continue dancing with you if you would have me."

Ebony smiled quietly and nodded. They stepped back onto the dance floor and once more gracefully drifted through the other dancing partners.

Before he knew it, Roy was losing himself in the swirl of emotions and the gentle rhythm of the music. The sight of Ebony's smile and the feeling of her hand in his set his heart pounding in the most lovely way. Ebony leaned forward and pressed her forehead into his. Roy also leaned forward and before he could stop himself, softly nuzzled Ebony's cheek.

Ebony snapped back looking shocked. She grew redder and redder. "I...I…." she stammered before turning and all but running out of the dance hall leaving Roy standing alone in the midst of the dancing students.

Roy was stunned, not by Ebony's departure but by what he had done. What had come over him? Mentally kicking himself, he moved off of the dance floor and sat in a chair dejectedly.

Dahlia came over and sat next to him "What just happened?" she asked, "All you did was nuzzle her."

Roy's face burned in embarrassment, the color of his face perfectly matching his tie "In faunus culture, a nuzzle is the equivalent of a lover's kiss" he explained.

Dahlia' mouth formed a small "Oh" as she realized the gravity of what Roy had done. "So...so that means that you…" she began,

"Basically kissed her?" Roy nodded miserably "Yup"

Dahlia patted his leg "But there's nothing wrong with that, I mean we talked about this!"

Roy looked her in the eye "Then why did she run off?" he asked.

Dahlia thought for a moment. "She's probably just as confused by her own feelings as you were. Just give her time and space and eventually she'll figure it out and let you know how she feels." Roy sighed and allowed his gaze to sweep around the room.

He noticed a white haired girl sitting by herself, her blue haired companion having just left. Roy knew she was in charge of the decorations as he'd seen her in the great hall earlier setting up the vases with flowers in them that sat on every table. Needing a distraction he got up and walked over to her.

"Excuse me?" he said. "My name is Shiroi Arashi, I don't think I've had the pleasure."

The girl regarded him coolly. "Weiss Schnee" she said simply, her eyes darting up to his cat ears.

Roy's blood ran cold as he realized he was currently talking to the Schnee dust company heiress. "Nice to meet you" he continued trying to keep the nerves out of his voice. "I simply wanted to come over and congratulate you on the decorations, they're really...nice" he kicked himself mentally again for his awkward compliment.

The Heiress' eyebrow raised slightly, but she gave him a small smile. "I'm glad you think so," she said primly.  
Roy nodded "Well...enjoy the rest of the evening" he said and rapidly retreated out of the hall and away from the music. _It really is a small world_ he thought as he made his way back to the dorm room, it was a cool night and the moon was a beautiful sight as it loomed over the school grounds.

Upon reaching the room, Roy unlocked the door with his scroll and entered. He noticed Ebony's dress tossed over a chair and looked at her bed; the tell-tale swell of the sheets confirming her presence.

He wanted to say...something, anything. But Dahlia's words echoed through his head:

"Just give her time and space."

he sighed and started to get ready for bed. After brushing his teeth, he undressed and climbed into bed. It was a while before he finally got to sleep. His head was an ocean of emotions, every one threatening to pull him under. Nevertheless, he eventually succeeded and dropped off into the arms of sleep.

 **This chapter marks the transition to Volume 2 of RWBY. The way I write my story is I follow the canon timeline with my own character's lives rather then trying to shoe horn them into the main story line. There will be cross overs once and awhile, but for the most part I try to keep OC and Canon character interaction to a minimum unless it's required by the story. Shout out to FiercesomestDefenestrator for coming up with some lovely little faunus customs. I would definitely recommend his/her fic: Catnip!  
** **Until Next we meet!**


	10. Chapter 9: Downtown and Daring

Roy walked through downtown Vale feeling gloomy.

Since the dance a couple of days ago, Ebony had been avoiding him. She woke up early so she could be out of the dorm before he awoke and she'd taken to sitting away from him during their classes.

Roy had refrained from asking her about it, still insisting on giving her the time and space Dahlia had mentioned, but he really didn't like being separated from Ebony this way and had started to train by himself late into the night.

 _I am the biggest Moron_ he thought. He constantly beat himself up over his snap decision to nuzzle Ebony. _I should've known better, I should have controlled myself, I shoul-_

His train of thought was interrupted by a distant rumbling.

He perked up and listened again, another rumble sounded. He looked across the street at a couple who were walking hand in hand; they didn't appear to hear the rumbling. He reasoned that his extra set of ears was picking up the sound and decided to try and find the origin of the rumbling.

He followed the sound to the plaza in the center of the city. The rumbling seemed to be coming from under the sidewalk in front of a large building. He got down and after a moment's hesitation pulled his hood off and pressed one of his cat ears to the ground.

His ear was assaulted by a deafening, cacophonous rumble. At the same time, the ground gave a massive heave and exploded under him. He flew into the air and landed hard which drove him to the edge of consciousness. Something heavy slammed into his back and he knew no more.

He didn't know how long he was out, the next thing Roy knew, he was awakening to a heavy weight resting on his back and something sticky running down his face.

He shifted and the weight lifted off his back and allowed him to rise slowly to his feet. He used his fingers to dab at a spot above his right eye, it stung and he activated his aura, healing the cut right up.

 _I really need to work on my passive aura activation,_ Roy thought as he surveyed the area and took in the sight of grimm pouring through the gap in the street.

He spotted flashes of red, white and yellow moving amongst the rubble. He realized that it was team RWBY; the team Wiess Schnee was on that was in the same year as SHDE.

 _The Hell?_ He thought. Deciding not to question it he pulled out his scroll and called Ebony

"H-hello?" she answered.

"Ebony get SHDE down here now"

Ebony's tone became more serious "Roy? Wh-Why? What's going on?"

"there was an explosion underground, there are grimm pouring into the city!" Roy answered.

Ebony gasped "how many?" she asked.

Roy snorted mirthlessly "too many."

A beowulf lunged at him and he dropped his scroll. He dodged and then swung his foot around smashing it into the beowulf's head. Grabbing up his scroll he yelled "Gotta go!" Ending the call, he swiped back to the number pad and punched in the code to summon his weapon from the school. The locker thudded into the ground a short distance away and sprang open with a hiss.

Black Orchid hung inside the locker in its blue leather sheath, the way the handle gleamed in the afternoon sun was almost as if it was happy to see him. Picking it up, he clipped it to his left side and strode toward oncoming tide of shadows.

:

Roy battled grimm for what seemed like ages. Sweat dripped off of him and his breath came in ragged gasps. He took a step forward and winced. As soon as he'd joined the fray, a pack of grimm had broken off from the plaza and had gone charging off toward the eastern end of the city.

Roy gave chase and during the resulting fight, an Ursa had landed a couple consecutive blows that had almost completely depleted his aura. He'd relieved it of its head but a pack of Beowulf corned him in an alley.

He'd had killed nearly all of them when one pounced onto his back it latched its jaws into his shoulder and raked him with it's claws; shattering his aura and leaving him with deep scratch wounds. Roy flipped the Beowulf over his shoulder and stabbed it through the neck. His vision swam as he leaned against a wall, the cuts in his side were deep and the pain was excruciating.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of movement and turned to see a King Taijitu lunging at him, its mouth open wide.

Roy dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding one of the snake's heads. He slashed at its thick scales, leaving a large gash in the diamond scale pattern.

The second head smashed into him with its thick snout, sending him skittering across the flagstones. He stood, ignoring the burning pain coming from his badly scraped back and charged the giant two headed snake.

Dodging another blow from the black head, Roy jumped up and stabbed the white head through the bottom of its mouth. It thrashed furiously almost relieving Roy of his sword.

Roy hung on doggedly, knowing that if he let go of the sword, he was dead. The white snake finally stopped thrashing as the second head charged him.

Roy pooled his strength and jumped on the snakes head as it lunged at him, fangs bared.

The King Taijitu reared back, desperately trying to throw the huntsman in training off. Roy hung on as best he could but with a final buck the snake dislodged him and threw him onto a pile of rubble.

Roy yelled as a piece of rebar skewered him through his side. His hands instinctively grabbed it and he struggled to lift himself off of the cold metal rod. The snake was poised to strike and Roy clenched his teeth, waiting for the end.

Suddenly, a hail of gunfire distracted the serpent. Looking up Roy saw an Atlas Military ship soaring majestically over the city.

Grateful for the distraction, Roy set his teeth he pulled himself off of the rebar. He bit back a yell of pain as the rod came free. He stood, and felt the blood drip down his side soaking through his shirt.

He fought against the waves of pain and charged the snake one final time. Pooling the last of his strength, he leapt onto a building's fire escape, climbing several stories until he had the height advantage on the giant grimm.

A loud hiss caused him to turn his head. The King Taijitu had ceased looking at the ship and had started searching for its prey.

Gritting his teeth he threw himself off of the fire escape and landed on the snake's head, embedding his blade up to the hilt in the snake's braincase. It let out a gurgling, strangled hiss and slowly sank to the ground like a piece of wet rope.

Roy dropped to the pavement and slumped down, his body having lost too much blood to support the landing. He struggled to stand using Black Orchid as a support. He took three shaky steps before blood loss rendered him too weak to continue.

He coughed and a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth; The rebar must have grazed an organ. He slumped down onto his knees then fell against the body of the snake and slid the rest of the way to the ground.

His vision slowly faded as unconsciousness enveloped him in it's dark embrace, the last sound he heard was the beating of his heart in his ears.

:

Roy awoke groggy and disoriented. He looked around slowly and spotted white walls and rows of beds with red comforters. He was lying by himself in the Beacon infirmary.

Well, not quite by himself, Ebony sat by his bed reading a magazine. Relief flooded through him to see his teammate. As he turned his head to better see her, he became aware of the feeling of his cat ears brushing against the pillow. Having his ears in the open felt good and he sighed heavily, which was a mistake. The wounds on his side flared angrily and a groan gritted its way past his clenched teeth.

Ebony dropped her magazine and was at his side immediately. "Roy!" she exclaimed, "Thank the gods you're awake!"

Roy laid back as the pain in his side subsided to a dull ache, "How long have I been out?" he asked.

"Two days" Ebony replied "Why didn't you stick with the other huntsmen and huntresses? We found you away from the main fight surrounded by dead grimm"

Roy fiddled with his comforter, "I guess I wasn't paying attention"

Ebony stood back with her hands on her hips "That sort of not paying attention can get you killed! What the hell would I do without…." Her voice caught and she suddenly became very interested in straightening Roy's covers.

"How bad were my injuries?" Roy asked sheepishly. At first she said nothing then she grabbed his hand and clutched it fiercely. Roy looked at her and sighed; "that bad huh" he said softly.

Ebony stayed quiet for a while, when she finally spoke her voice shook slightly "You had multiple deep cuts on your sides, as well as a stab wound that had grazed your liver. You would have bled to death if we hadn't found you" Ebony sniffed. "Roy?" she said.

"Yes Ebony?" he replied.

"Promise me you won't go off by yourself again, please" she implored.

Roy closed his eyes and settled back into the bed "I promise, oh and by the way I'm sorry for….nuzzling you without warning. It was wrong."

The light was blocked from his view and he opened his eye to see Ebony leaning over him

"Wha...?" he started to ask, but she leaned forward and kissed him. A real honest to goodness kiss and, after a moment's paralysis, he returned the kiss.

The cuts on his side twinged and he broke the kiss with a pained gasp.

Ebony looked alarmed "Oh! I'm sorry!"

Roy shook his head "don't be. It was just my side"

Once she was sure she hadn't caused him irreparable harm, Ebony laughed "you're blushing" she pointed out.

Roy's cheeks were indeed burning with embarrassment. Ebony sat back down and reopened her magazine, looking quite pleased with herself.

Roy lay quietly for a moment, then he spoke "Ebony?"

Ebony looked up from her magazine "yes?" she answered.

Roy wrestled with the words for a moment then said quietly "I love you." Ebony brought her magazine up in front of her face. From behind it, drifted her response

"I love you too."

 **Daaaawww ain't that ending cute? And with that...**

 **We finish up volume 2.  
(Booooooooo)  
I'm Sorry! I didn't have any other ideas for volume 2! if you have things I can do with team SHDE for volume 2, Leave them down below!  
Until next we meet!**


	11. Chapter 10: Frenemies!

The roar of the crowd thundered throughout the Amity Colosseum. It was the first day of the 40th Vital festival and Team SHDE was facing off against Team SNWW from the kingdom of Atlas. At the moment, Roy was engaged in a fierce clash with Slate Grey, the leader of the enemy team.

Slate swung his weapon; a gun gauntlet with a long extending blade about 2 feet long, at Roy who blocked expertly with Black Orchid and, with a fancy move, twisted the blade away from his body. This left Slate's torso open and for a second Roy thought he'd be able to end the fight right then.

But Slate retracted the blade into the gauntlet and fired two shots at Roy from the gun on the wrist. The shots slammed into his gut and he dropped to one knee. Slate stayed back, still very wary of his foe. He shot a quick glance up at the scoreboard, Roy's aura was in the yellow, one more good blow would finish him off.

His own aura was well into the orange.

Wishing to end the fight quickly, Slate took careful aim and fired at his downed opponent.

Roy rolled to the side, dodging the shot and scrambled up. He charged Slate, batting aside Slate's weapon arm with Black Orchid then connected with a strike that caught his combatant in the chest.

Slate sank to the ground, his aura completely depleted by Roy's blow.

"Slate Grey, Leader of Team SNWW has been eliminated!" Professor Port announced.

Roy shook himself, clearing the last remnants of the unused kinetic energy from his aura. He too glanced at the scoreboard; after using his semblance, his aura was in the orange. He'd have to be careful not to fall into the red, if that happened he'd be eliminated by aura level.

Roy turned to look for his teammates. His eyes first came across Ebony who was battling Wisteria Heathcliff. she seemed to be holding her own just fine.

Roy watched as she expertly twirled Archimedes; her staff weapon, and brought it down onto Wisteria's head with a satisfying crack.

The other girl let out a squeal and swung out with her own weapon; a mace with a head that could swing out on a retractable chain in devastating heavy blows.

Ebony cartwheeled easily out of the way, her ponytail flashing in the midday sun. She came up behind Wisteria and smacked her on the back, almost like she was tagging her.

An angry shout rang out from behind Roy distracting him from watching Ebony's fight.

"Where are you?!" He looked around to see Near Li, another Team SNWW member, stalking around in the ruins biome.

Roy chuckled to himself as he jogged over; Dahlia was using her semblance again.

Dahlia' semblance rendered her invisible if she stayed still by refracting the light around her using her aura. It was effective for ambushing foes, if she had a diversion.

Roy waved cheerily at Near "Hello! How's your fight going?"

Near fired an angry shot at Roy from his Crossbow/shotgun combination weapon. Roy caught the bolt in his hand and snapped it.

Near was preparing another shot when he felt two barrels pressed into the back of his head.

"Peek-a-boo" a singsong voice came from behind him.

Dahlia shot him twice in the head at point blank range, depleting the rest of his aura.

"OH COME ON!" Near grumbled as he pitched forward.

"Oh that's a rough defeat for Mr. Li!" Professor Oobleck quipped and Dahlia winked cheekily at Roy, darting away to join Hunter.

Turning, Roy looked back at Ebony's fight in time to see her fight spill over into the ruins biome.

Ebony caught Wisteria's flail on her staff and yanked the girl closer. Wisteria shot forward with a squeak but recovered and caught Ebony in the face with a swift palm strike.

Ebony stumbled backwards and her foot stepped awkwardly on a chunk of debris.

Roy winced as he saw her ankle twist violently. Ebony fell heavily onto the ground, her face twisting in a pained grimace. Archimedes slid out of her grasp, away from her across the uneven ground.

Roy sheathed Black Orchid and dashed over to intercept Wisteria who was closing in for the kill. Wisteria brought her mace up and swung it down onto Ebony.

Roy dove on top of Ebony shielding her with his body he closed his eyes expecting the blow to wipe out his remaining aura. Instead, he felt his aura flair back to just under half strength right before the blow connected, saving him from elimination. barely.

Opening his eyes he looked down. Ebony's hand was pressed onto his chest, she had stolen a bit of Wisteria's aura and had added it to Roy's.

Roy looked at Windy, floored by her strategic use of her semblance.

"I love you!" he babbled out,

Ebony grinned at him "Neat" she said with a gleam in her eye.

"Eeew! excuse me?, we're fighting!" Wisteria squealed.

Roy scrambled off of Ebony

"One sec" he said and advanced toward the enemy combatant.

Wisteria swung her mace at him, Roy swayed backwards and the mace's head passed over his head. He straightened up and charged forward. After dodging the mace again, Roy darted forward, reaching his hand out past Wisteria's defenses.

With an evil grin he flicked his middle finger, connecting with Wisteria's face. Kinetic energy flowed through his hand and sent her flying into a wall. An alarm sounded signaling a knock out by Aura level.

"And Mr. Arashi KOs Ms. Heathcliff with a joint use of his and Ms. Winterhold's semblances, impressive!" Professor Port cheered.

Roy jogged back to Ebony and offered her his hand.

"You okay?" he asked, Ebony was avoiding putting weight on her twisted ankle

"Well I won't be dancing on this foot for a while." She groaned.

Roy gave her a concerned look "We should get it checked."

Ebony nodded then looked around "What happened to…."

Another alarm signaled a KO and Professor Ports voice rang through the arena. "And Warren Longstreet is eliminated! Team SHDE is victorious!"  
Hunter came out of the trees, his weapon, Venus slung over his shoulder, looking extra pleased with himself.

Roy smiled and looked at Ebony "We did it" he said

"Yeah, we did" she said returning her own pained smile.

The biomes sank back into the arena floor and the exit gate opened.

They walked out of the arena, Roy supporting Ebony and Dahlia, once again, riding on Hunter's shoulders. Dahlia was giggling and telling Hunter about her tournament battle.

"And then he was walking around in circles looking for me!" she laughed and Hunter smiled.

"They were a good team" Roy said. "We were lucky to be their opponents."

Ebony nodded in agreement. "We've all improved too" she said, elbowing Roy in the side "someone's been working on their passive aura activation"

Roy smiled and nodded "maybe a bit." He replied.

A white coated medic met them inside the hallway just through the exit gate. "We saw one of your team members was limping" he explained, "Thought I'd better come down and check on her." Roy nodded in thanks and helped Ebony over to the small examination alcove.

The medic had Ebony sit on a small stool and take her boot off.

Roy winced; Ebony's ankle had turned a wide spectrum of blues and purples. The medic tutted and gently took Ebony's injured foot in his hands. Ebony gasped in pain as he gently probed her ankle,

"Yup, just as I suspected, you have a torn tendon in your ankle. You should stay off it completely, if you don't it'll heal wrong." Ebony started to protest, but the medic raised his hand, cutting her off "No. I'm sorry that's the last I'll say on the matter." He turned to Roy "As team leader, it's up to you to make sure this one stays in bed."

Roy snorted "When you figure out how, let me know." The medic gave him a look. "I'm kidding, yes sir" Roy added hastily.

He leaned down and picked Ebony up bridal style. She was holding her boot in her lap and looked very displeased.

"How is it that you can carry me even though you're 3 inches shorter than me?" she grumbled.

Roy grinned, "All the inches from my height went to my biceps" he joked.

Ebony gave him a smug look "Is that the only place the inches went?" she asked mischievously.

Roy blushed and Ebony's laughter echoed through the hallway as Team SHDE walked to the transport. They were half way back to Beacon before she stopped snickering.

 **Where did those inches go Roy? Hmmmmm.  
** **Anyway I hope Ya'll enjoyed that chapter, the first Chapter of the Vol 3 arc.  
Until next we meet!**


	12. Chapter 11: Decisions and Bed Rest

Team SHDE sat around their room a short time after their tournament fight.

Ebony was slightly huffy; she hated being waited on and was annoyed that for her, the tournament was over.

"Oh this stinks!" she moaned as she settled back against the pillows.

"I know," Roy said, "But it can't be helped"

He was settled into a chair next to the bed, Dahlia sat on the end of the bed and Hunter leaned against one of the dressers.

"We need to make a decision here," Roy said "We made it through the teams round so now we need to start thinking about the doubles round."

Everyone nodded in agreement

"I thought about this long and hard, I think that me and Hunter should go through to the doubles."

Dahlia clapped her hands excitedly "Oh! That sounds awesome! It'll be fun to watch you for a change!" she said, grinning at Hunter.

Roy looked at Ebony,

"I agree" she said simply with a smile.

Hunter nodded, "I'll certainly do my best" he said, returning Dahlia's grin.

Roy grinned as well "Okay, so it's settled"

He sighed and settled back in his chair, finally letting the fatigue of the fight crash over him. He felt Ebony grab his hand and opened his eye to see her smiling at him. He returned her loving look with his own smile.

Dahlia got off the end of the bed and tapped Hunter on the shoulder. Taking the hint, Hunter walked toward the door and exited the room with Dahlia close behind.

As she left, Dahlia threw a wink at Roy over her shoulder. "We'll leave you two love birds alone" she snickered.

"Go!" Ebony snapped and playfully threw a pillow at the door. Dahlia dodged the pillow and shut the door softly behind her. Ebony sighed and once again settled back into the remaining pillows.

Roy softly stroked her hand, he loved feeling every nuance and detail of her soft yet strong hand. She placed her other hand on top of his and gazed lovingly into his eye, bright, gentle green staring into deep, rich blue.

"We don't get quiet moments together often" Roy noted.

Ebony shook her head, "We really don't, we're usually busy with our studies. Then this tournament comes along and basically all free time goes out the window."

Roy nodded in agreement, "I'm sorry it took you twisting your ankle for us to have free time" he said sadly.

Ebony gently reached out and stroked his cheek, allowing her hand to play over the scars that stretched down from beneath his eyepatch. She slid over in the bed with a wince and patted the space next to her "Come on, there's room for two."  
Roy stood and shed his coat then climbed onto the bed next to Ebony.

He settled back with a sigh and closed his eyes, enjoying the softness of the bed. He felt Ebony fiddling with his eyepatch strap,

"what are you doing?" he asked with a grin.

Ebony undid the snap at the back and the patch fell away, revealing his damaged sightless eye. Roy looked away quickly, but Ebony softly hooked his chin with her hand and gently made him look her in the face again.

After a few seconds she placed her hands on either side of his head and gently pulled his head down to plant a gentle kiss a few inches from his faunus ears.

Roy gave her a surprised look; in faunus culture the kiss was an old fashioned way that some faunus showed who their spouse was, essentially saying "This one's mine"

Ebony gently caressed his cheek "Never feel ashamed or self-conscious around me, I'm your girlfriend and your advocate. You can show or tell me anything."

Roy stopped resisting her hand and Ebony brushed his hair away from his face. She studied his ragged features and softly touched his scarred eyelid.

He resisted the urge to shrink away from her touch, _just let it happen_ his mind urged him, so he did.

Ebony snuggled into his side with her head resting on his shoulder, she used her arm to pull him closer and after a moment Roy encircled her shoulders with his arms.

Ebony closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, "I needed this" she whispered.

Roy kissed the top of her head "So did I" he admitted.

Ebony opened her eyes long enough to pull Roy into a kiss, their lips met and Roy surrendered to the euphoria. After a couple seconds Ebony gently disengaged from the kiss and settled back onto his shoulder.

Her hand gently traced the line of his collarbone and lightly caressed his chest. Roy smiled and closed his eyes enjoying the feeling. Ebony succumbed to her fatigue and gently drifted off into the realm of dreams with Roy following not long after.

Roy was walking in a dark foreverfall forest. The wind was howling through the trees and the calls of ravens echoed in the darkness.

He was standing behind a tree, his body felt heavy as if each limb was made of lead. He raised his hand and it felt like he moved in slow motion.

A figure flashed by where Roy was standing and he could've sworn he saw large cat ears

"Mom?" he called.

His voice sounded warped, almost as if he were under water. He slogged after the figure, desperate to catch up. Rounding a particularly large tree trunk, he caught sight of the figure standing with its back to him in a clearing up ahead.

"MOM!" he yelled into the thick air. The figure turned and to Roy's dismay, he realized it was faceless. The cat ears and hair were his mother's but the face was a blank fleshy void.

The faceless creature reached its hand out toward him.

A grimm lept from the shadows and pounced on the figure. In a flash, the grimm sank its teeth into the thing's neck and with an awful jerk it tore its throat out.

Blood spurted everywhere, the thing writhed and spasm as it struggled to get air past the gaping hole in its windpipe. It was still reaching out to Roy silently pleading with him to save it, save her!

The figure, the grimm and the surrounding woods evaporated around Roy, leaving him on a solitary chunk of woodland floor and a single tree.

Something wet splashed onto Roy's face and he looked up to find that every single crimson leaf was turning to blood and raining down onto him. The blood dripped into his ears and deafened him. It dripped into his mouth and choked him. He floundered wildly desperate to escape the bloody deluge.

He strayed too far and lost his balance, toppling off of the island into the black void. He tried to cry out, but the crushing blackness of the void stole the sound as it left his throat.  
:

A harsh impact dragged Roy back to consciousness. He came too on the floor, drenched in sweat and breathing hard.

"Roy! Are you okay?" Ebony was lying diagonally across the bed looking over the side at him.

He avoided her gaze and stood. His hands were shaking and he clenched them tightly to quiet them.

"It's nothing, just a dream" he started to walk toward the door.

"HEY!" Ebony's voice stopped him dead in his tracks. "It was not just a dream, I know what a night terror looks like" she continued in quieter tone. "Please, tell me"

Roy sighed and sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"I...was dreaming about my mother" he admitted. "I was in foreverfall and I was chasing her...she stopped and….A grimm tore her throat out."

His voice broke and he looked away blinking away tears. Ebony softly gripped his hand.

"I'm sure your mom is just fine," she said, "From what you've told me about her, she sounds like a pretty tough woman."

Roy looked at the floor, "I can't even remember what her face looks like."

Ebony gripped his hand harder "I'm sorry Roy."

Roy nodded silently. He fiddled with Ebony's comforter, trying to distract himself "I think after the tournament is done, I'm going to make a trip to Atlas" he said quietly.

Ebony nodded "I think you should, it would put these fears to rest plus you'll get to see your mom after all this time." She grinned "I'll be going with you of course."

Roy grinned back "I wouldn't have it any other way"

Ebony held her arms out "Come here you" she said with a reassuring smile. Roy allowed himself to be enveloped in her arms; her warmth and comforting hands put his mind at ease, if only for a little while.

 **These chapters are my favorite, any time these two characters get quiet time is a joy to write. also...How about that dream sequence? I'm not a horror writer, but I will warn Ya'll right now that all the dream sequences are gory like this. I stick them in here as a little treat for my girlfriend who is a huge fan of Horror movies.**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	13. Chapter 12: Losing

The next day, Roy and Hunter stood in the middle of the coliseum. The four biomes for the fight had been selected and before them stretched a desert, an ice field, the ruins and the forest.

Standing on the desert side of the starting platform was Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren of Team JNPR.

"And now Shiroi Arashi and Hunter Zant of Beacon will face off against Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren, Also of Beacon!" Professor Port boomed.

"3!" Doctor Oobleck began the countdown

"2!" Roy drew Black Orchid with a flourish.

"I'll take Nikos" he whispered to Hunter, who nodded and readied his own weapon.

"1..."BEGIN!" Professor Oobleck roared.

Roy flew toward Pyrrha, and they clashed with a clanging of sword on spear. Roy pulled back and struck his fighting stance, Pyrrha followed suit. They stared each other down for five agonizing seconds then sprang toward each other.

The two engaging in a display of sword play that Dahlia would later described as "mesmerizing." The two warriors battered each other's defences, swords flashing in the sun.

They locked weapons and strained, each attempting to shove the other back. Pyrrha set her feet and pushed back hard sending Roy sliding backward. He disengaged his sword and rolled behind Pyrrha, who swung her sword behind her attempting to catch Roy in the back. Roy pulled off a beautiful reverse parry and brought her sword over his head as he twisted around to face her. She struck out with her shield and Roy activated his semblance and took the blow square in the chest.

Blue Cracks rippled across his aura as the energy circulated through it. He swung his foot into the center of Pyrrha's shield, his foot making a satisfying ""GONNG!" noise as it struck.

The blow sent Pyrrha sliding backwards across the sand of the desert biome, her slide sending sand flying into the air. She planted her foot again to stop her backward slide, striking a defensive pose.

Roy twirled Black Orchid in a warrior's salute

 _Guess I'll have to use the dust options,_ He thought, beginning to circle to the left. Pyrrha circled to to her left, shifting her grip on her weapon as she did.

Suddenly, Roy pulled the trigger on Black Orchid's handle. Dust infused the blade, making it glow sky blue. he reversed his grip on the sword and slammed its tip into the arena, sending a line of ice spikes shooting toward Pyrrha.

She dodged out of the way, morphing her sword into its gun form and firing several shots at Roy.

Quick as a wink, he spun Black Orchid's chamber to the purple dust and the blade glowed with a violet glow.

He swung the blade, the steel flashing in his hands and deflected the bullets, each one beginning to float lazily as they came in contact with the blade.

Pyrrha returned her weapon to it's spear configuration and threw it at her opponent. Without batting an eye, Roy spun to the green chamber.

Slashing sideways, Roy used the wind dust to cause a brief cyclone that curved Pyrrha's weapon back toward her.

Spinning to the yellow chamber Roy sent a lightning bolt arcing toward his opponent, using the spear as a conduit. Pyrrha grabbed her spear out of the air and stabbed it into the arena floor.

Quicker than lightning she released the weapon, allowing the bolt to be channeled harmlessly into the ground. Roy spun to the final chamber; red again, and swung the hot blade into the ice on the field, melting it in seconds and sending up a cloud of steam.

Pyrrha changed her spear back into its sword form and charged toward the cloud of steam, leading with her shield. Roy charged out of the cloud and met his oncoming opponent with a crash.

Pyrrha batted Black Orchid aside with her shield and dealt Roy a solid blow to the torso with her sword. The blow sent him skidding across the sand and he angled himself so he came up in his feet.

He looked up to see Pyrrha charge him again, making it obvious she wasn't going to give him an inch. She stabbed forward and Roy had to backpedal furiously to avoid a knockout blow.

He feinted toward her legs with Black Orchid and at the last moment swung into the inside of her shield channeling the last bit of energy left in his aura. The blow sent the shield flying out of her hand, it landed with a thud on the dusty floor of the arena.

The sword fight began in earnest, with both combatants hammering each other's defenses, only allowing a few blows through. Roy had the upper hand, his sword point zipping to and fro like an angry lancer.

He pulled off a complicated twist with his sword that threw Pyrrha's blade to the side leaving her exposed for a brief second. He stabbed out intending to deal a massive blow to her torso.

As his sword neared its target, the blade suddenly drifted to the left and past Pyrrha's body. He stumbled forward and Pyrrha brought her hand in a palm strike into Roy's cheek.

He staggered to the side, and tried to ready a proper defense but Pyrrha brought her sword back into play, bringing the butt of the sword right into his stomach knocking out the rest of his aura and bringing an end his fight.

He fell backwards onto the sand with a thud. He was breathing hard, his hair and face covered in sand.

"Roy? I thought you said you had her!" He heard a sarcastic voice coming from his right. He looked and saw Hunter walking toward him. He'd been eliminated in a skillful show of combat from Lie Ren who was following behind, breathing heavily.

Pyrrha offered Roy her hand "You fought well" she said kindly "But your technique could use some work and you improvise a bit too much" she added.

Roy nodded and accepted her hand. "I'll work on it" he said with a grin.

She pulled him to his feet and he fist bumped Hunter. Together they made their way to the exit gate.

"We lost" Hunter remarked

"Yeah, we did" Roy said, shaking the as much sand as he could from his hair "It was fun though" he added grinning at Hunter,

his teammate grinned back "Yeah, it was"

Roy turned his eyes forward and stopped, the grin fading from his face.

A line of Atlesian Knights stood blocking their way just inside the exit tunnel. An man wearing the crisp white and gray uniform of an officer stood in front of the robotic soldiers, his eyes cold and expressionless.

"Are you Shiroi Arashi?" he asked.

"Who's asking?" Roy asked cautiously,

"The Atlas military, you're under arrest for the theft of Schnee Dust Company property" the officer stated in a commanding voice.

Roy's blood ran cold _How could I be so stupid?_ he thought _This tournament is broadcast all over the world; of course someone would recognize the sword._

Hunter scoffed "That's ridiculous, there's no way"

Roy silently stepped forward and held his hands out "I'll come quietly" he said.

Hunter's words died in his throat and he looked stunned as Roy was led away in cuffs. The officer unclipped Black Orchid from Roy's sword belt and gave him a stern push forward.

He led Roy to the headmaster's office. This surprised him; he had thought that'd he'd just be taken back to Atlas for trial.

"Why are we here?" he asked.

The officer stayed silent as they boarded the elevator and rode it up to the office. The doors slid open and the officer shoved Roy suddenly from behind. His hands were still cuffed and he failed to catch himself, falling flat on his face and smacking his nose in the process.

"JAMES!" Ozpin snapped, "I will not have your personnel manhandling my students!"

The officer began to protest "But sir look!" he ripped Roy's hood off of his head and grabbed one of his ears roughly "Not only is he thief, he's a faunus as well!" The officer was twisting the ear quite painfully and Roy bit his lip to keep himself from making any noise. He heard Ozpin stand up swiftly behind his desk.

"While he is inside the walls of Beacon, he is my student" he said in a dangerously quiet tone "release him, Now"

The officer looked to Ironwood and the general nodded.

"Uncuff Mr Arashi and leave him and the weapon here" he said sternly.

The officer did as he was ordered, removing the handcuffs from Roy's wrists and marched forward, laying Black Orchid on Ozpin's desk. He gave a quick salute to Ironwood and marched back into the elevator, disappearing as the doors slid shut.

Roy stood slowly. He wiped a trickle of blood from his nose and stood staring straight ahead. He still had quite a quite bit of sand on his face, the sweat from his battle adhering it to his skin.

Ironwood narrowed his eyes. "I thought recognized you, you were the student who was involved in an altercation with some of our students last semester! This is exactly what I was talking about Oz!" He exclaimed. "A former White Fang member under your very nose!"

Ozpin shifted his gaze from Roy to Ironwood "Contrary to your insinuation, Mr. Arashi had already told me about his former involvement with the White Fang." Looking back to Roy he addressed him in a solemn manner "Roy, The General here would like to take you into custody."

Roy stiffened slightly. The very thought of being taken to Atlas, leaving Beacon, leaving Ebony…

"However," Ozpin continued "I have negotiated with him; if you give the weapon to him he will return it to the Schnee Dust Company and allow you to remain here under my supervision."

Roy looked at the ground to think. He would be avoiding jail time, but at the cost of his weapon. He knew if he refused, they'd take Black Orchid away anyway and lock him up to boot.

"That being said," Ozpin continued "one member of the wronged party must agree with this decision, one is already on her way"

A few minutes if awkward silence went by. Finally the elevator door swung open, revealing a woman with white hair and crystal blue eyes standing primly inside.

She stepped out of the lift and walked forward. Every step seeming cold and calculated. She sprang to attention and saluted the General "Sir! You sent for me?"

Ironwood nodded, "I did, I apologize for calling you back so soon Winter"

The woman; Winter, shook her head "No apology necessary sir. I was barely halfway back to Atlas when I received your message"

Ironwood gestured to Roy "Good, it appears that I've found your missing prototype."

Winter slowly turned her ice cold gaze on Roy, "I assume this is the thief" she said crisply.

Ironwood nodded "yes, what would you have us do with him? Ozpin and I have already come to an agreement, but I'd like to hear your decision"

Winter strode forward and gently picked Black Orchid up. She unsheathed it quickly, causing the ring of the steel to echo around Ozpin's office. She whipped the sword's tip under Roy's throat and held it there. "You!" she barked "you did something to this sword. What was it?"

Ironwood cast a sidelong glance at Winter "how do you mean Schnee?"

Roy lifted his chin carefully. So, the woman was a Schnee. Honestly he should have known; there weren't that many white haired, blue eyed people in Remnant.

"Yes Ms. Schnee, what do you mean?" Ozpin repeated the question.

"This sword" Winter began brusquely "is an old prototype. It's dust infusion technology should be nowhere near the level it was during the tournament battle. You modified this weapon, explain how, now!"

Roy stared levelly at the Schnee, "I simply modified the dust chamber and upgraded the dust delivery channels" he said quietly.

Winter smack him with the flat of the blade "Liar, there's no way a lowly faunus like you could understand the finer aspects of dust weaponry"

Roy grit his teeth "it wasn't that hard. The weapon used to take dust in its powdered form, I simply upgraded the loading mechanism and then widened the dust delivery openings to allow it to take normal dust cartridges"

Winter narrowed her eyes and scanned the dust chamber, noticing a small button above the trigger where the handle joined the crossguard. She pressed it and tilted the sword to the side. The dust chamber slid out of the housing unit, held securely by a pair of metal arms. Her cold expression faltered for a split second.

"How do I know you didn't just have a weapon smith modify it?" she asked.

Ozpin cleared his throat "I can personally vouch that Mister Arashi has spent many a sleepless night in our weapon shop. I can provide visual evidence if you want"

Winter flipped the chamber back into its housing, her eyes revealing a flash of approval at the lovely click it made as it slid shut. "That won't be necessary, I will honor any agreement you and the General have regarding this...person"

she returned the sword to its sheath, the blade sliding into place with a smooth click sound. Setting the sword back on the desk, Winter stepped in front of Roy. reaching out her leather gloved hand, she daintily flicked some hair off of the right side of his face revealing the long scar along his cheekbone.

"Well, well" she said in a satisfied tone "I did hit you, I've always wondered"

Standing straight, Winter was at least a foot taller than him. She bent down slightly to address him further, "The only reason I'm not insisting that you be dragged back to Atlas in cuffs is because you may have made my Father quite a bit of money with your weapon modifications and for that I thank you"

Roy kept his face passive, but in reality he was seething inwardly.

Winter turned and saluted to Ironwood "Permission to take my leave of you Sir"

Ironwood nodded "permission granted, have a safe journey back to Atlas"

Winter nodded back "Thank you sir" She turned on her heel and walked toward the elevator.

Before she reached it, the door slid open revealing the officer from earlier, clutching Black Orchid's upgraded blueprints "Sir! We found these in the weapon shop!"

Winter reached out and slid the dark blue tube of paper out of his arms "Splendid, I will be taking these" she said coldly.

The officer blinked in surprise "Y-yes Special Operative Schnee!" he stammered. The doors slid shut on the two of them and the elevator once again began to descend.

Ironwood reached out and tucked the sword under his arm "you'd better keep an eye on this one Ozpin" he said, never taking his eyes off of Roy. he strode over and pressed the button for the elevator and waited.

Roy's temper boiled over just as the doors of the lift slid open,

"If you knew what I've done to help Atlas, you'd be thanking me!" he stated savagely to the General's back.

Ironwood paused, looking for a moment like he wanted to hear more. but after a moment's pause he stepped into the elevator and vanished from view as the doors slid closed.

Roy walked over to the chair facing Ozpin and slumped down into it. He massaged the ear the officer had twisted.

"How could I be so stupid!" he growled.

Ozpin poured him a cup of hot chocolate and set it down in front of him. "Now Roy you must have known this was going to happen eventually" he said kindly.

Roy took a sip of the dark brown liquid. "I guess." he said sadly, "I just kept thinking it would be later."

Ozpin sat back down behind his desk "I know the feeling, if you are in need of a new weapon, Signal academy on the Island of Patch has an extensive weapon's smithy. You can visit there after the general has left."

Roy nodded and finished his drink "Thank you sir, for helping me out of this mess."

Ozpin nodded "I'm always glad to be there for my students." he said "Just know that I might not be able to get you out of trouble next time" he added with a sad smile.

Roy nodded and walked to the elevator. He paused, his finger hovering over the call button. Something Ozpin had said puzzled him.

"Sir?" he said turning to face the headmaster.

"Yes Roy?" the Ozpin answered.

"Earlier you said I told you about my involvement with the White fang...I never did."

Ozpin smiled at Roy "No you didn't...and you didn't need too, I already knew"

Roy looked at the floor "I still should've…"

Ozpin stood and walked over to Roy, placing his hand on the young Faunas' shoulder. "Roy, this life is far too short to worry about what we should've, all I need to know is are you loyal to this school?" Roy nodded firmly and Ozpin patted his shoulder "good, now go and rejoin your teammates. They probably have questions for you."

Roy turned and pressed the button for the elevator. It soon arrived and Roy stepped inside, pressing the button for the ground floor and the doors slid shut.

His side felt strangely light without the comforting weight of Black Orchid resting there. Despite himself, he allowed a single tear to slide down his cheek.

He immediately regretted it; he felt like a child crying over a lost toy. _No_ he thought _Black Orchid was not a Toy, it was a tool_.

The doors opened on the ground floor and the evening sun struck him full in the face. The warmth of the rays playing over his face raised his spirits for a moment but then the unfamiliar lightness at his hip brought them crashing back down in ruins.

 **This chapter is one of, if not the most Canon Character heavy chapter in my book. On principle I usually try to keep canon character interaction to minimum.  
The only exception is if the inclusion of a canon character will enrich the story.  
Thanks for reading!  
Until we next meet. **


	14. Chapter 13: Blood and Fire

Roy wandered the fairgrounds aimlessly, not really seeing where he was going.

He was in a very confused state; torn between relief at not being dragged back to Atlas and extreme sadness from losing a weapon he'd lovingly cared for and improved for nearly six months.

"Roy! Over here!"

his ear twitched and he looked around to see Dahlia and Hunter sitting at a small tea stall. A sudden urge to run gnawed at the back of his mind. He banished it quickly, the very idea disgusted him. These were his friends, who else would he turn to?

He slowly walked over and slumped onto the barstool next to Hunter.

"I don't think this day could get any worse" he groaned, hiding his head in his arms.

Hunter patted his back comfortingly "Well, you could be on a transport bound for Atlas right now"

Roy raised his head to smile sadly at his taller teammate, "You're right, I'm still here"

Dahlia used her sleeve to wipe some of the sand off of his face "I'm glad, I hate team leader shopping"

Roy couldn't help it, a chuckle forced its way out of his mouth. "I don't deserve you guys" he said with a sigh.

"Oh shush" Dahlia made a dismissive gesture with her hand "you do too"

Roy's happy gaze wandered over to the stall's holoscreen and he raised an eyebrow.

The feed of the tournament had been replaced with the static image of a black chess piece, a queen, set in a scarlet field.

He pointed to the TV "Can you turn that up?" he asked the man running the stall.

The man pressed some buttons on his scroll and a woman's voice cut through the peaceful evening air.

"... _And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First, a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong, but I know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So, I ask you, when the first shots are fired, who do you think you can trust?"_

The woman finished speaking and the screen cut to static.

Roy looked at his teammates "What do you suppose that was all about?" he asked.

Dahlia shrugged "no idea...A political protest of some kind?"

Hunter also shrugged "No clue here either" he admitted.

Before Roy could ponder the message further, his scroll buzzed in his pocket. Sliding it open, he answered quickly "Ebony?"

"Roy!?" Ebony's voice sounded scared "Please tell me you're not in the Colosseum!"

Roy's brow furrowed, "No, I'm here in the fairgrounds with Lia and Hunter, Why?"

Ebony let out a sigh of relief "I'm so glad, A Nevermore is attacking the Colosseum!"

Roy stood bolt upright "What?!" he exclaimed.

He looked up toward the Colosseum and, sure enough, he could just make out the large black wings of the gigantic grimm as it perched atop the floating arena. "How did it get all the way here?"

Suddenly the air was split by the long wail of a siren and an icy claw gripped Roy's heart. The shrill cry of the siren could only mean one thing. That a force of grimm, large enough to pierce Vale's defenses was now converging on the city.

Ebony suddenly gasped on the other end of the line,

"Ebony!?" Roy cried.

Ebony's next words were deathly serious "Roy...The White Fang is here"

Roy clenched his fist "They probably had something to do with this!" he growled.

"Roy...They're releasing grimm into the school!"

up until this point, Roy had been set on heading to the Colosseum to help with the evacuation, but the horrified edge to Ebony's voice drove all thought of anyone else from his mind

"Ebony, you stay right there! We'll be there soon to get you" He hung up and keyed in the number for his rocket-propelled locker.

A few seconds later, the locker thudded into the turph a few feet from him, kicking a small cloud of dust.

As he began entering Beacon's coordinates into his scroll, Dahlia grabbed his arm "Roy! Wait, we can't just leave everyone to the nevermore!"

Roy pulled his arm out of her grip, "Ebony is the priority" He said simply as he stalked toward his locker.

"Hey!" Hunter shouted after him "We're Huntsmen in training! Our priority is the civilians!"

Roy climbed on to the locker and prepared to hit the confirm key "I've already lost my weapon today!" he shouted back "I won't lose her too!" He looked at them pleadingly "please, I need you. I won't make it unless you guys cover me"

Hunter turned to ask Dahlia what they should do. The sound of her locker thudding into the ground answered for her.

"Hunter, Ebony needs us" she said firmly "Once we make sure she's safe we'll come right back"

Hunter nodded and pulled out his own scroll. A minute later, three Beacon lockers soared into the air. The wind whipped around Roy's ears and he flattened them against his head to quiet the deafening woosh of air.

After what seemed like an eternity, the lockers touched down on Beacon's landing platform. As they dismounted their lockers, an ear splitting roar cut through the other sounds around them.

Roy dropped to one knee, his hands desperately trying to block out the noise from his four ears. He looked up and and caught sight of a gigantic shape flying toward the CCTV tower. He straightened up, thanking the gods that the beast hadn't noticed them.

"Come on!" he yelled to his companions and together they sprinted back toward the dorm.

They dodged several packs of Grim and White Fang before the three of them reached their room. Roy's heart almost stopped as he scanned the room; Ebony was gone. He knew that she could normally take care of herself but with a twisted ankle she would be at a severe disadvantage.

"She can't have gotten far, come on!" he yelled tearing out of the dorm with as fast as he could.

He exited the dorm building and quickly scanned the campus. Grimm and hacked Atlas tech was everywhere, the only clear path was by the dining hall which was fully ablaze. Hunter and Dahlia finally caught up with him,

"Where do we go?" Hunter asked Roy.

The faunus pointed toward the dining hall, "Ebony probably went that way, let's go"

Dahlia nodded and Hunter stepped forward "I'll take the lead, you don't have a weapon" he said, hefting Venus.

Roy nodded and together they began to move forward. They were almost past the entrance of the hall when a black and red blur shot from the building and lunged at Hunter.

The young huntsman had barely turned around when a crimson blade stabbed him, the blade passing clear through his aura, piercing his sword arm and driving into his shoulder.

Hunter reeled away with a yell, dropping his weapon and clutching at his arm. Roy slid to a stop and took a step backwards.

Standing before them stood a tall lean faunus with a shock of red hair crowned by a pair of black horns. He whipped his sword to the side, showering the ground with drops of Hunter's blood. He turned toward Roy, an evil smile playing across a face half hidden behind a white mask with red markings.

"Roy!" Get behind me!" Dahlia yelled twirling her twin daggers.

The faunas placed his sword in its sheath and crouched lower to the ground. His hair and the red markings on his mask suddenly glowed brightly and his sword flashed out of his sheath. Sending a horizontal energy slash flying towards Dahlia.

She tried to parry and the force sent her flying away into the darkness.

"Lia!" Roy cried, reaching out in the direction the small huntress had flown.

"Did you think you could hide?" the faunas growled at him.

Roy turned angrily to confront the attacker "Who are you?!" he asked.

"My name is Adam Taurus, I'm the leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang and you…" he leveled his sword at Roy "Are a traitor to your kind, turning your back on your brothers and sisters in Atlas. I know who you are Shiroi Arashi and I'm here to pass your sentence!"

Roy weighed his options, he could run but in doing so he would be leaving Hunter at Adam's mercy, but if he stayed he would surely be killed. It was a lose-lose situation.

Adam suddenly charged toward Roy, sword flashing a bloody red in the firelight. Roy reached over to grasp Black Orchid's handle through pure instinct.

Cursing inwardly as his hand found empty air, Roy sank into a defensive fighting stance. Adam launched a slash that if it had connected, would have relieved Roy of his head.

Roy bent backwards to avoid it and the blade came so close it sheared through some of Roy's bangs.

He flipped backward to gain ground on the enemy faunus, looking up he saw Adam returning his sword to its scabbard

 _"What?"_ Roy thought angrily, _"Do you think you can take me without using your sword?"_

Roy charged towards Adam and brought his fist swinging forward to deliver a solid haymaker to Adam's jaw.

Suddenly, something cracked into Roy's face. He stumbled back, blood pouring from his nostrils. "What..." he started to say, but Adam sent his sword thrusting right toward Roy's chest.

He stepped backward trying to avoid the thrust, but his back bumped against a wall that Adam had maneuvered him into. With Adam's blade racing toward his heart, Roy reached up and grabbed the blade with both hands. Using all his strength, he shoved the sword over his left shoulder.

The blade cut both of his hands deeply, his palms becoming slick with blood. All the same he lunged at Adam with a yell. Adam feinted with his sword, causing Roy to instinctively checked his rush to avoid the it.

In a split second, Adam shoved the sword into its sheath and brought it cracking into the side of Roy's head, Roy took the blow, absorbing the kinetic energy and swung his hand backward to catch Adam in the chest. The faunus partially drew his sword, absorbed the force of the backhand and in a flash, darted behind Roy.

He unleashed a slash across Roy's back, the energy from the sword shattering his aura.

Roy yelled so hard his voice gave out; his back was in agony and blood gushed from the wound. He had stepped forward far enough that the slash hadn't sliced into his vertebrae, but it still had cut deeply into skin and muscle.

Roy staggered forward two more steps then sank to his knees, His heart hammering in his ears.

A pair of boots entered his view and he looked up. Adam stood over him with his sword poised to stab Roy through the heart. Roy looked up defiantly at Adam as he silently waited for the blade to end his life.

Suddenly Hunter bulled into Adam knocking him away. Adam stumbled backward and slashed Hunter's chest. The sword connected and opened a cut that stretched from shoulder to hip. Hunter collapsed with a grunt and Adam took a step toward him.

Suddenly, Dahlia came flying out of the darkness with a small war cry, daggers raised. Adam turned and faster than Roy could see lunged forward and grabbed her by the throat in midair.

He swung her around like a rag doll and slammed her into the wall, her weapons flew out of her hands and skittered away into the night.

Adam held Dahlia off the ground against the wall and allowed his sword to trail into a patch of fire that was burning a broken table from the lunch hall.

"Humans disgust me" Adam gritted savagely, "You think you're the superior race, always spitting in the face of the faunus!"

He withdrew the sword from the flames, the tip orange and glowing evilly.

"No!" Hunter cried out, his voice hoarse and scared.

Adam slid the hot sword into Dahlia' stomach, as the sword entered her there came an awful sizzling noise and Dahlia screamed.

Adam yelled over Dahlia's screams "DO YOU FEEL SUPERIOR NOW?"

Roy could do nothing, all he could do was lie there and listening to his friend suffer.

"Please…Just kill me." he whispered, If it meant that the screaming and pain would stop, he wanted death to take him.

Adam finally withdrew his blade from Dahlia' body, slowly, inch by inch; the sword slid it's way out of her torso. Dahlia fell to the ground with a small thud, she was deathly pale and was frighteningly still.

Adam wiped the blade off on her shirt and returned the sword to its sheath. He turned and walked toward Roy and bent down in front of him.

"You picked the wrong side, turncoat" he hissed in Roy's face.

The Faunus turned away and strode away through the smoke and fire into the night.

Roy struggled upright. It was agony but he had to stand, he had to. He stumbled toward Dahlia.

He saw Hunter crawling as if in a daze, desperate to reach her as well. Roy tried to keep going as well but slowly, he sank to one knee as the blood loss started to take its toll, his vision blurring he watched as Hunter reached Dahlia and cradled her.

"Please Lia...Please wake up..you have to" he cried, rocking gently back and forth.

Roy struggled to stand once more but his body finally failed him. He took a single shaky breath and slid sideways onto his side and blacked out.

:

Roy stirred faintly; the stench of blood was overwhelming. How could it not be? He was lying in a puddle of his own. The cuts on his hands throbbed and stung in tandem with the slash across his back.

Using his teeth, he ripped strips of fabric from his sleeves and wrapped his hands tightly, staunching the blood dripping between his fingers.

Ignoring the burning pain in his back, he propped himself up on his elbow and looked up, his heart fell as he saw his teammates,

Hunter was slumped against a support pillar, his breath was ragged and he was nursing the arm that had been pierced through by a sword thrust. The slash on his chest had bled a fair amount due to its size and his arms and clothing was stained with blood.

Dahlia was still in his lap, just as pale and unmoving as she had been.

Tears dripped from Roy's eyes and smashed his fist into the floor angrily, he regretted it immediately as the wound in his hand screamed in protest. Roy began to crawled toward where Hunter and Dahlia were. Every movement triggered a fresh wave of pain in his back. Gritting his teeth, he finally made it to Hunter's side.

Reaching out he grasped Dahlia's arm and shook her lightly.

"Come on Lia...open your eyes...please" he said in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

He heard footsteps and looked up. Ebony appeared, limping badly but alive and unharmed. She was using Archimedes as a walking stick, the dust staff more than enough to support her.

Her eyes found her teammates and her hand shot to her mouth. She dropped her staff and slid to her knees next to them.

Roy crawled over to her and put a blood soaked hand on her leg. He looked into Ebony's face and what he saw scared him.

Ebony was visibly shaking. she was staring straight ahead her eyes full of an unspeakable terror.

Roy reached his hand out and brushed Ebony's face, the blood from his hand smearing across her cheek.

"Ebony...snap out of it!" he yelled weakly, pooling the last reserves of his strength he did something he would never have done in normal circumstances.

He swung his hand and smacked Ebony.

She blinked and snapped out of her trance. Roy breathed a sigh of relief.

The relief turned to the icy talon of fear as he heard the tramping of mechanical feet. He slowly turned over to see five Atlesian knights marching unflinching toward he and his team.

He crawled backwards as fast as he could until he was between his team and the menacing white figures.

He glanced at their visors and saw again the flickering blood red light he had seen so many years prior.

All of a sudden, he was back in the warehouse, listening to his friends die, watching Simon's face explode.

Roy started to shake uncontrollably, he reached back until he was gripping Ebony's leg.

"Roy?" he heard her whisper, His last ounce of strength left him and he began to succumb to the grasping darkness.

Right before his vision went black he saw the lead Atlesian explode and a flash of red and gray shoot across his view. His vision faded completely and he knew no more.

 **And that is the battle of Beacon from Team SHDE's perspective. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.  
** **Until next we meet.**


	15. Chapter 14: Awake and in Pain

Roy awoke to a world of blinding light and pain.

Light was pouring through the window and stung his eye, causing tears to stream from it. He raised his hand to wipe the moisture off of his face, but his hand and back throbbed in tandem: causing him to drop his hand back to the bed.

His head was pounding and he closed his eye willing the pain to stop. It lessened and he slowly opened his eye allowing it to get used to the level of light in the room.

Looking around he saw he was in a low ceiling room made primarily of wood, the slope of the ceiling told him he was in the attic room.

He attempted to sit up, but a flash of burning pain across his back made him stop.

He was dressed in a nightshirt and sweatpants under blue sheets and a thick comforter made of red plaid fabric. He raised his hands in front of his face; both of them were wrapped in linen bandages that completely covered his hands.

He tried to close his hand, but the same burning pain from his earlier lanced through his palms and he left his fingers splayed open.

Suddenly, the memories of the past night crashed down on him en masse. He remembered the pain, Adam Taurus, Hunter and, "Dahlia!" he exclaimed.

An irresistible urge to get up took ahold of him; he had to know if she was all right, he had to! Roy gathered himself, set his teeth and squeezed his eye shut, before thrusting himself upward.

His back felt like it was being torn asunder and Roy bit his lip trying not to scream. He gingerly swung his feet over the side of the bed and waited for the pain to subside.

He made several unsuccessful attempts to stand, each time the pain coupled with the spinning of his head forced him to sit back down. He tried again and this time managed a step forward before he pitched forward, landing with a thud on the floor. He lay there, the world was spinning and he shut his eyes trying not to blackout.

The door to the room swung open and Roy heard a gasp.

"Roy! By the gods what are you doing?" Ebony dropped to her knees and cradled him, caressing his cheek. "Here, let's get you back into bed."

She lifted Roy like a child and gently deposited him back into the bed. He groaned as his back zinged with pain.

Eventually, the pain settled into a dull ache and he started to breathe easier. Ebony fussed around him, tweaking the bed clothes, checking his bandages and generally trying to keep herself busy.

She glanced at the clock on the wall, "it's time for your bandages to be changed" she said quietly.

She gently lifted Roy's nightshirt over his head. "Turn over" she said quietly.

Roy gingerly shifted on to his stomach and Ebony snipped away the bandages binding his back. He winced as cold air played across the open wound stretching across his body.

Ebony gently soaked a cloth and draped it gently over the wound. The wound smarted a bit and he gasped as the warm water was applied. Ebony dried the excess liquid off of his back and wrapped fresh bandages around the wound.

"You can turn over now" she said and Roy obliged.

Looking into her face, he tried to smile reassuringly but his face refused to. It was as if his face had grown weary of expressing happiness in any extent.

"How are Hunter and Dahlia?" he asked softly.

Ebony crossed her arms "Hunter is currently recovering; his condition is very similar to yours."

Roy's brow furrowed. "And Dahlia?" he asked apprehensively.

Ebony looked at the floor, avoiding Roy's gaze "She….well...she hasn't woken up yet."

Roy tried to sit up but Ebony pressed him back down.

He fought her ignoring the pain in his back, "Ebony! Let me see her!" he cried.

Ebony stopped fighting him, "Okay...but you're leaning on me the whole time okay?"

Roy nodded silently and allowed Ebony to gently pull him out of bed.

Pain arced through his back and hands like lightning, but he gritted his teeth and fought through it as Ebony helped him out of his room.

They made their way down the hall to Dahlia' room and Ebony slowly opened the door. The room was of medium size, a window looking over the main drive was cracked open and a brisk breeze tickled his ears as he limped forward. Dust motes swirled gently around the room. A crystal wind chime hung in front of the open window sending fractals of light dancing around the room, its tiny crystal chime sounded in the still air.

In the middle of the room was a small bed. Dahlia lay on the bed like a china doll. Her face was pale and besides the faint rising and falling of her chest, she gave no indication that she was living.

Ebony helped Roy cross the room and deposited him in a quaint wooden chair next to the bed. Roy reached out and grasped Dahlia's hand and squeezed it, ignoring the pain in his own hand. There was no answering squeeze back.

Roy tried to speak, but his throat was too constricted. He cleared his throat; the atmosphere of the room had been so quiet that the sound startled him. He turned his ears to the side as he heard a sound emanating from the neighboring room.

"Ebony," he whispered "Go get Hunter...they...should be together."

She nodded silently and quietly exited the room, closing the door behind her. Roy sat in the stony silence, if he listened hard, he could just hear Dahlia's breathing, it was very faint but it was there.

The door of the room reopened and Ebony entered, struggling to support Hunter's weight as they stumbled through the door. With a huff, she deposited him in another chair on the other side of the bed facing Roy.

Hunter said nothing, he just took Dahlia's tiny hand in his giant one and held it.

Roy looked into Hunter's face. He wanted to say how sorry he was, he wanted to tell Hunter that he was going to make Adam pay for what he did to them...but he couldn't. The words wouldn't come.

They just stuck in his throat.

He looked down at his heavily bandaged hands his vision grew blurry as tears clouded his eyes. They began to drip down onto his bandaged hands leaving dark spots where the droplets hit the fabric. His ears drooped and he shut his eyes trying to stem the flow of tears.

 _I don't know what to do, I feel helpless, weak, scared and….Useless._ He thought _I came to Beacon to learn and gain allies...I've learned alright. I've learned you can't escape your past and that your past will always burn your allies along with you._

He clenched his fist, ignoring the pain emanating from it. He heard a sound beside him and opened his eyes.

Ebony was kneeling next to his chair smiling sadly at him. She raised her hand and softly brushed the tears from his face. Taking hold of his clenched hand she gently opened it. He looked at his hand, blood was staining the bandages.

He had opened the stitches.

He turned to Ebony to apologize, but she cut him off by throwing her arms around him. He buried his face in her neck.

"We're alive" she whispered, "We're bloody and bruised, but...we're still alive."

 **Wooof, This is a shorter Chapter, I was a bit busy over Thanksgiving, (Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!)  
I'll post what I can in the coming weeks, but Finals is fast approaching.  
Thank you to all my followers!**

 **Until next we meet!**


	16. Chapter 15: The State of Things

Ebony gently released Roy from her embrace.

"Come on," she whispered, "Let's give these two some alone time."

Roy nodded and tried to stand. His back screamed in protest and he bit his lip to keep from making a sound. Ebony took hold of his arm and gently helped him to his feet.

Turning away from Dahlia's bed, the pair made their way back to Roy's attic room.

As soon as Ebony helped Roy through the door, all of his energy drained away and he went limp. Ebony yelped as her charge stopped supporting his half of the weight and struggled to keep him from sliding to the floor. She was finally able to balance him out and set him down onto the edge of the bed. Grasping the covers, she gently pulled them up to his waist, leaving his upper torso and arms free.

Carefully, she began to unwind the bandages on his bleeding hand. Roy winced as the cool air of the room stung the wound across his palm.

"I'm going to redo your stitches," Ebony explained, "your aura is helping with most of it, but the more we can do to speed up your healing, the better."

Roy nodded, "understood" he croaked.

Ebony reached over to the nightstand and picked up some thread and a curved medical needle. Skillfully threading the needle, she reached forward and gently gripped Roy's injured hand. Roy knew what was coming next and looked away, gritting his teeth against the pain of the needle threading in and out of his palm.

Eventually the stabbing pain halted as Ebony finished stitching his hand. Setting down the needle and thread, she wrapped his hand in fresh white bandages. The clean cloth felt cool against his skin and Roy settled back, attempting to ignore the pain which seemed to be emanating from his entire body.

He gingerly turned his head to look at Ebony, noticing, for the first time, how tired she looked.

Her tail was drooping lower than usual and was lacking its usual groomed appearance. There were dark circles under her eyes and she seemed paler than usual.

Roy Slowly reached out toward her hands and gently gripped her finger tips with his. She squeezed back and Roy noticed she was holding back tears.

"Hey…"

 _Don't cry_ he tried to say but his dry throat sent him into a coughing fit. Ebony swiftly grabbed a glass of water and held Roy's head steady as she helped him drink. The water felt heavenly as it passed through his dry throat.

"What's happened back at the school?" he asked quietly.

Ebony's hand froze halfway through putting the glass back on the table. After a couple of moments, she gently set it down with a soft clink.

"Beacon is overrun" she whispered "Ozpin is missing and the city of Vale is heavily damaged"

Roy closed his eyes, feeling despair slowly creeping into the back of his mind, "How is Dahlia exactly?" he asked, wishing to change the subject.

Ebony sighed and clasped her hands in her lap "The sword perforated her stomach and chipped her spine as it passed through. Her coma is a result of the trauma. The doctors have her on aura enhancers, they said all we can do now is wait. They did say if….." Ebony stopped herself and tried again "...when she awakens she's going to need heavy rehabilitation before she can walk again"

Roy sighed and turned his head to look out of the attic window. The surrounding trees were bare of leaves, poking out of the ground like black skeletal fingers in the orange tinged landscape. The lack of leaves hinted at it being late autumn and Roy watched as the wind caused several leaves to dance across the ground.

He became aware that Ebony was still talking to him.

"I...what?" he asked, turning back around.

Ebony sighed barely managing a sad smile "I was saying that you should get some fresh air when you're feeling up to it. It's going to get cold soon."

Roy nodded "I'll try….some other day."

Ebony nodded and gently stroked the back of his hand. Roy's gaze returned to the window and he closed his eyes, losing himself in the gentle caress of her fingers across the back of his hand. Before he knew it, he'd dropped off into a fitful sleep.

:

Roy walking through the ruins of Beacon, rubble crunching under his boots as he made his way deeper into the school grounds.

As he walked past the great hall he saw Ebony and Hunter inside, standing around something on the ground. He made his way over to them, calling out a greeting as he did. Neither of his teammates turned around as Roy strode up to them.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked, "the school is teaming with grimm right now, it's not safe to be here"

Ebony fidgeted "we know….we just…" she stopped speaking as if what she was saying was too painful to say.

Roy turned to Hunter who hadn't moved from where he was, his eyes staring emptily at the ground in front of him. "We came to pay our respects" Hunter said thickly.

Roy followed Hunter's gaze and his heart stopped.

There, lying in a pool of her own blood, her entrails sitting in a tangled mess under her, was Dahlia. Her white skin was stained a deep crimson and her eyes stared unseeing toward the sky.

Roy stumbled backwards with a cry of shock. His foot caught on a chunk of rubble and he tumbled to the ground, bashing his elbow as he landed. He looked up to see Hunter and Ebony standing over him. The color was draining from them, the whole scene turning monochromatic.

"If you hadn't taken us by the great hall, Dahlia would be alive" Hunter said in a dead voice.

"If you'd had more faith in me, your team wouldn't be suffering" Ebony continued in the same lifeless tone.

Roy crawled backwards and felt his back hit a wall, "Please" he pleaded "I didn't...It wasn't…."

An earsplitting roar drowned out the rest of his pleas and he looked skyward to see a giant winged shape diving and circling the remnants of Beacon tower.

"What is that?!" he cried.

"Its hungry" Ebony said, kneeling down in front of Roy. He'd barely turned to look at her when she slid a knife between his ribs.

He gasped, a look of shock frozen on his face as an intense chill consumed him. He coughed and felt something warm slide down his chin as his front became soaked with blood.

He felt something grab his ankle and he looked down to see Dahlia's corpse hanging doggedly on. It raised its face and Roy blanched at the sight.

Her head had been cut through diagonally, revealing dull grey brain matter and fragments of skull poking up through the remains of her face.

"Why didn't you save me?" Dahlia asked, her mouth stretching wider in a sick grin, tearing her cheeks and revealing glistening white teeth.

"I tried!" Roy cried, "I wasn't strong enough and I failed!"

Ebony twisted the knife in his stomach "I bet he would have tried harder if it'd been me" she said, her voice dripping with scorn.

Dahlia's corpse screamed and suddenly lunged for Roy's throat, the white teeth sinking into his neck. She bit down and Roy's world went black.

:

Roy came awake with a whimper, gazing around frantically. The attic room was dark and Ebony was asleep in the chair next to him.

He slowly sat up, the adrenaline from the nightmare helping to dampen the pain. As quietly as he could, he limped past Ebony, out of the room and down the hallway to Dahlia's room.

Easing the door open, Roy limped to the girl's bedside and slumped down in the chair.

Dahlia was just as still and white as she had been the first time Roy had seen her. A soft green glow emanated from her still form, the sign of aura enhancers at work, trying their best to boost the healing effects of the girl's aura.

Roy lay his head down on his arms, face turned toward Dahlia's still form.

"I...I'm sorry" he whispered. "I couldn't protect you...and now you might not wake up" Tears formed at the corner of his single eye "It's my fault" he gritted out, "all my fault...I...I"

Roy broke down completely, sobbing softly into Dahlia's blankets. He heard someone approaching the bed and he did his best to compose himself.

He looked up in time to see Hunter gently wrap his uninjured arm around him in a hug.

"It wasn't your fault," he whispered gruffly, "that faunus got us good, but we'll be ready for him next time. You, me, Ebony and Dahlia."

Roy carefully returned the hug, finally getting his emotions under control.

"You should really be in bed." Hunter whispered.

"I know…" Roy began, "But...if I may, I think I want to sit here with her for awhile."

Hunter nodded "of course, mind if I join you?"

Roy gave Hunter a dumbstruck look "do I mind? Of course not! She's your girlfriend!"

Hunter smiled sadly "yup and I've been here since Ebony put me here this afternoon"

Roy was about to question Hunter why he hadn't seen him when he entered, but then remembered Hunter's semblance and decided not too.

The faunus settled back into his chair and the human did the same across the bed in the second chair. The two future huntsmen kept a silent vigil over their wounded teammate until the silent specter of sleep claimed them both.

 **I have a girlfriend, a wonderful human being who makes my life complete. I can't imagine what I'd be going through if something like what happened with Dahlia happened to her. Oof, I need a drink, Curse being underage! XD**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	17. Chapter 16: Taken Away

Roy woke up the next morning to find Ebony shaking him lightly.

"Did you two sleep here last night?" she asked incredulously, gesturing to Hunter who was still slumbering peacefully in his chair.

Roy tried to nod, but a loud popping sound in his neck made him stop and he answered verbally;

"yeah, I couldn't sleep. So I came down here and found Hunter. I guess we both drifted off at some point." he explained, conveniently leaving out his nightmare.

Ebony sighed and held her hand out to him "come on, let's go get some breakfast."

Roy gave her a pained look, "I'm not sure I'll be able to stomach anything, aura enhancers are rough."

She gave him a sympathetic glance, "I can imagine, I'll make something light, toast sound good?"

Roy nodded, letting a burst of breath escape him as his back zinged. Ebony paused, but Roy shook his head motioning to his back and she let out a quiet "oh" and continued helping him get up.

As soon as he found his feet, Roy motioned Ebony away,

"Roy, if you fall and break your skull it's going to set you back months" Ebony reprimanded him.

Roy took several shaky steps forward "the sooner I can stand on my own, the sooner I can get out there, find out who's responsible and make them pay!"

Ebony sighed and followed close behind Roy as he slowly made his way out of the room and down the hall.

As he reached the stairs he came to a irritating realization; his fragile equilibrium, while good enough to keep him upright on the flat floor, would not be good enough to preserve his balance on a flight of stairs. Ebony stepped up besides him and gave him a questioning look. Roy tried to get his thoughts out, all he was able to say was "those are stairs"

Ebony snorted, "good, you know what they're called"

Roy sighed, "I don't think I'll make it down the stairs on my own" he mumbled, his brain finally starting to work again. Ebony gave him a sympathetic look and took his arm, carefully guiding him safely down the stairs to the main level. As they ascended the steps, he noticed family photos hanging on beside the staircase. He didn't recognize any of the people in the photos.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"It's one of several safe houses set up for students while their parents travel to find them." Ebony replied, "People in the surrounding areas were kind enough to open their homes for us, this family is currently on vacation in Atlas.

Roy grunted as Ebony set him gently in a wooden chair at the table. After making sure he was comfortable, she moved into the small kitchenette and started to prepare breakfast.

First she put the toast down for Roy, then started making some scrambled eggs. Roy noticed a tablet on the table. He pulled it toward him and read the headline splashed across it; BEACON ACADEMY ATTACKED: ATLAS KNEW?

Roy sighed. He powered the screen off and turned to look out the front window, where a small patch of pine trees flanked a long drive that led out to a road. The house appeared to be on the outer fringes of Vale and he could see the beginnings of the city in the distance.

As Roy watched a silver car drove into view and turned down the drive.

"uh...Ebony?" Roy asked

"Hmm?" Ebony responded.

"Are we expecting visitors?"

Ebony gave him a look "No, Why?"

"Because…" Roy continued "there's a car coming down the driveway"

Ebony darted to the window. She watched as the car stopped and a large man got out and stood back, looking up at the house with a look of distaste before stepping out of sight as he walked toward the door. She gave Roy a slightly panicked look as a loud knock echoed through the house.

Roy struggled to his feet and followed his girlfriend to the door. Ebony slowly opened the door and addressed the man "Can I...help you?"

The man looked her up and down, his expression hardening as he noticed her cat tail. "I doubt it, I'm here to retrieve my son." he said disdainfully.

Roy stepped in front of Ebony defensively; he didn't like the man's tone. "Mr. Zant, I presume" he said coolly.

"Yes" the man replied stiffly.

Hunter's father was a frighteningly tall man with graying brown hair and eyes like shards of flint. Roy could almost feel an aura of unfriendliness radiating of the man in waves and he took a small step back.

"If you are done pretending to be injured, I would like to be shown where my son is" The man said carelessly.

Ebony's tail bristled "How dare-!"

Roy motioned her gently to be quiet. "Alright, he's this way" he said, pointing up the stairs.

Roy limped to the stairs, Hunter's father following close behind. He tried not to think of how awful climbing the stairs would make him feel and gingerly placed his foot on the bottom step. A twinge of pain lanced through his back, but he ignored it and forced himself to keep going until he finally reached the top floor landing.

He leaned against the wall, nausea making his head spin. He heard Hunter's father give an exasperated sigh and walk by him, opening the door to Dahlia's room. Roy heard Hunter say "Dad?!" before the door clicked shut, shutting the two faunus out of any conversation that was happening inside.

|Roy slid down the wall until he was on his knees, leaning against the wall with his forehead pressed against the wood. Ebony caught up and gripped Roy's shoulder reassuringly.

"Remind me again how Hunter is such an amazing person?" she asked, her eyes glaring daggers at the closed door, from which snatches of conversation drifted now and then.

Roy shrugged, "no clue here" he muttered, still trying to stave off the waves of nausea.

All of a sudden the voices in the room turned from conversation tones to shouts of anger. "I REFUSE TO LEAVE YOU IN THE CARE OF THESE...THESE ANIMALS!" Hunter's father roared,

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL THEM THAT! THEY'VE ONLY EVER BEEN KIND TO ME" Hunter roared back.

Ebony's tail grew bigger than Roy had ever seen it and her eyes flashed with rage. "Oh they are not…." she growled, marching to the door and swinging it open "HEY!" she roared.

The room went dead silent, a true testament to the stopping power of Ebony's anger.

"In case you haven't noticed!" Ebony said shrilly, "there is a girl in a coma between the two of you."

Hunter's father stood up straight, looking furious. "How dare you raise your voice to me! Do you know who I am?"

Ebony regarded the man with complete disdain "I don't care if you're the godsdamned king of Remnant" she growled menacingly "if you don't act with the proper bedside manner, I will forcefully eject you from the room" She rounded on Hunter, "That goes for you as well!"

Hunter stood shakily from his seat next to Dahlia's bedside. "Dad, follow me please"

He limped into view and Roy gave him a shaky wave. Hunter returned the wave, "is it okay if we borrow your room Roy?"

Roy nodded, "take all the time you need" he said quietly. Hunter smiled thankfully and limped toward Roy's room with his dad following close behind.

The door once again clicked shut and once more, Hunter and his Father's voices were muffled beyond comprehension.

Roy sighed as the nausea finally subsided, "Ebony, could you help me up?" he asked softly.

In a flash Ebony was at his side, lifting him back up onto his feet. "The nerve of that man!" she growled, "yelling like that in a injured girl's room!"

Roy grunted in response as his back twinged again. He wondered what compromise Hunter would come to with his father; would he stay or would he be forced to leave? His throat constricted as he thought about Hunter being forced away from Dahlia's bedside.

Roy's head turned quickly as the door to his room opened. Mr. Zant walked out briskly followed by his son who quietly shut the door behind them. Roy waved Ebony back and stood up straight on his own,

"well?" he asked, staring levelly at Hunter's father.

"Hunter will be coming back to Atlas with me" Mr. Zant said simply.

"For a few weeks" Hunter interjected.

Mr. Zant gave a wan smile "right" he said distracted.

Roy's eye narrowed and his cat ears flattened back along his skull, "Hunter...a word in private"

Hunter shot a glance at his father then followed Roy into Dahlia's room. "What is it?" he asked.

Roy settled into one of the two chairs with a heavy sigh, "I don't trust your dad Hunter" he began. "I don't think he intends to let you come back"

Hunter smiled sadly "yeah...I know"

Roy fiddled with the white fringed cover sheet on Dahlia's bed. "Then why go?" he asked.

Hunter was silent for a moment, finally striding over and gently brushed a stray strand of hair out of Dahlia's pale face, "My mother is worried sick about me" he said finally, "plus it's just her and my dad in that house and...well, you know what he's like. She needs someone there for her." Hunter turned to look at Roy, the sad smile still on his face. "You and Ebony better take care of Lia for me" he whispered, his voice breaking.

Roy felt his eyes burn with tears as he stood shakily and walked around the bed to pull Hunter into a bear hug.

"We will" he said "and I promise that someday, Me, Ebony and Lia will come rescue you."

Hunter laughed softly, "guess I'll be the damsel for Lia to rescue, funny I thought it'd be the other way around".

Roy released him and looked up at his tall friend "I still don't think you should"

Hunter patted Roy's shoulder gently. "I know man, but…" he sighed "she's my mom"

Roy's heart was suddenly overwhelmed by an empty feeling. His hand drifted to his chest, above the space where his heart was. Hunter talking about his mother in such a loving way had reminded Roy that his mother was out there somewhere and he hadn't seen her in three years. Pushing the feeling away, Roy turned and limped out of the room, Hunter following close behind.

"Hunter, will be going with his father." he said. Ebony's tail started to puff up again and Roy shot her a covert glance, given his head a almost imperceptible shake. Ebony's tail stayed the same size, but she held her tongue and vanished into Dahlia's room.

Hunter turned to his father, "Most of my belongings were lost when Beacon fell, all I have is Venus. I'll go retrieve her and then we'll go"

Hunter turned and limped to his room to grab his weapon, leaving Roy standing with his father.

"He really does love her you know" Roy said without looking at Mr. Zant.

The Zant patriarch sneered "I care not, no son of mine will ever marry a Shino"

Roy chuckled softly, annoying Mr. Zant, "What's so funny cat?" he barked.

The faunus finally turned to look at him "The fact that you think you can control someone's heart, Dahlia and Hunter are deeply in love. If you think distance will prevent that...well you don't know your son very well"

Mr. Zant's face grew red with anger, "How dare you, You Piece of-"

"Dad" Hunter's voice came from the direction of the room "I'm ready, I'm just going to say goodbye to Lia"

Mr. Zant cleared his throat and pointedly looked away from Roy, "If you must." he grunted. Hunter nodded and limped into Dahlia's room, Roy following close behind.

They found Ebony sitting at Dahlia's bed side, clutching her hand and watching her face intently. As Hunter approached she looked up sadly, "Time already?" she asked.

Hunter nodded "My dad's pretty impatient to leave" he answered.

Ebony offered a mirthless laugh "Doesn't want to stay with the animals any longer than he has too"

Hunter sighed, "I don't know where it comes from"

Ebony shook her head, "Do any of us really? How did you turn out so nice about faunus?"

Hunter smiled, "my mother was home more than my dad and she was supportive of faunus, her values rubbed off on me more than my dad's did"

A loud knock sounded at the door "Are you going to take all day Hunter?" Mr Zant's voice boomed from outside.

Ebony started to rise but Hunter placed a hand on her arm "Don't, it's fine" He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on Dahlia's lips. Turning away, he gently gathered Roy and Ebony in a hug "I'm counting on you guys to come get me someday" he whispered.

Ebony sniffed and tried to keep from crying "You have our word" she whispered. Hunter released them and walked out of the room without looking back. A minute later, the front door of the house shut with a bang. Hunter and his father could be seen walking toward the car through the window. The car doors slammed, the engine turned on and the car drove slowly up the drive before vanishing from view as it turned on the main road.

Roy gripped Ebony's arm, The house was quiet and seemed bigger than it had before. Hunter was gone and Team SHDE had lost their H.

 **Wow, Mr. Zant is a dick...Anyways, sorry about the long wait! Finals are starting up here at Stout and things have been...well things have been busy. I hope you're enjoying the story. Things start heating up soon!  
Until Next we meet!**


	18. Chapter 17: Drown Your Sorrows

A month later, Roy sat in a small boardwalk bar on the docks of Vale. A rickety sign hung above the open front of the bar. It portrayed a motif of two crossed pry bars with green and orange letters spelling out _The Crowbar._

Roy winced as the nearly healed cut across his back twinged painfully. The barkeep sauntered over, "What can I get you?" he asked.

Roy sighed, "I'll take a hard cider." The barkeep raised an eyebrow.

"How old are you?" he asked.

Roy cursed inwardly, "18" he said dejectedly.

The barkeep shook his head, "Sorry kid, I can't serve you."

"Please?" Roy coaxed, "I've had a horrible week and I just…"

"need something to dull the pain?"

A gravelly voice spoke from the entrance of the bar. Turning around Roy saw a huntsman. He was tall with graying dark hair and stubble on his chin. Over his shoulder hung a ragged dark red cape and a large sword was strapped to his lower back. He looked very tired, as if he'd been working nonstop for the past few days. The huntsman strode forward and plunked some lien on the bar, "I'll cover him"

The barkeep began to protest, "Sir, I can't serve alcohol to a minor"

The huntsmen chuckled, "kid's gotta grow up sometime. Look if you get any problems just tell them Qrow Branwen vouched for him."

The barkeep nodded grudgingly. He set a hard cider on the counter and retreated to the far corner, polishing a glass furiously.

Roy picked up the cider and took a sip, the sweetness of the cider quickly vanished, giving way to the bitterness of the alcohol. It felt good for a moment, but the relief didn't last and his face fell a little.

"Not working is it?" Qrow asked, Roy shook his head. Qrow nodded knowingly "it never does, yet we just keep drinking" he gave a mirthless chuckle and pulled a flask from his breast pocket. Taking a drink he spoke again "you wanna talk about it?"

The faunus shot Qrow a dirty look. No, he didn't want to talk about it.

"Basically" He growled "Life is Hard"

Qrow whistled "Well, well, we have a great philosopher with us today!"

Roy turned grumpily away from the huntsman. Qrow sighed and set a firm hand on Roy's shoulder, "Sorry kid, I know how you feel."

Roy scoffed, "How the hell do you know how I feel?" he snapped.

Qrow's eyes went cold "When you reach my age kid, you'll have seen worse things"

Roy looked away and a feeling of unbelievable shame washed over him.

He lowered his hood revealing his cat ears.

"The problem is I'm a black cat, I bring only misfortune to others. During the attack last month, something from my past came back and tore through my team, leaving me and and my teammates wounded." he said, gripping the edge of the bar so hard, the old wood began to creak. "I felt so...useless! I went down and was helpless to do anything while my teammate was brutalized!" His voice broke and he quickly took another drink of his cider to mask his emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

He heard Qrow sigh and tap on the counter with his knuckles. "How did you go down so easily anyway?...I saw you in the Tournament. You're a natural born fighter and you're good with that sword of yours. What happened?"

Roy growled, "Atlas happened, I stole the sword from the Schnees a while ago. I was facing jail time and Ironwood generously-." Roy ground out the word, "allowed me to use the sword to buy my freedom. I was unarmed when we were attacked."

Qrow raised an eyebrow "Sounds like there's a story behind that theft" he remarked.

Roy snorted, "It would take more drinks than you could afford for that story to be told in one sitting."

Qrow smirked and said "yeah I bet"

Sliding a small stack of lien across the counter, he stood up and moved out from under the awning.

He turned and spoke, "Look kid, you have a decision to make. You can either sit here and drown your sorrows or get up off your ass and do something." With that, he turned and started walking down the peer.

"Wait!"

Roy jumped up from his seat, rushed out from under the awning and called after him, "What did you choose!?"

Qrow paused and shouted back over his shoulder "Choose? I do both!"

With that the huntsmen turned a corner and vanished from view. Roy walked back into The Crowbar and, after a moment's thought slid his unfinished drink back across the counter to the barkeep.

Standing up he replaced his hood over his ears and stepped onto the peer. It was a long walk to the house his team was staying at, and he wanted to get back before Ebony got too worried.

:

As Roy slowly walked through downtown Vale, he couldn't help notice the destruction that was still visible around the area.

In the weeks preceding the fall of Beacon, the teachers and huntsmen banded together to run damage control; clearing out grimm and treating the injured. They had even begun trying to repair some of the damage but it was a lot of work for just a handful of people and the eastern end of the city still looked much like it had right after the battle. Buildings were left as empty shells, storefronts smashed in and rubble lay in large piles scattered around the streets.

As he walked around a corner, Roy caught a glimpse of a peculiar sight. A lone Atlesian knight stood motionless in the center of the road, its head down and its rifle held limply.

Roy walked up to it warily, body tensed and ready to fight. He needn't have bothered, the robotic soldier was quite lifeless. Roy stood in front of it and looked it over. It was covered in dents and scratches. A small hole in its face sent out a spiderweb of cracks across its faceplate.

Roy had heard that the enemy had hacked all of the Atlesian knights on the night beacon fell.

He'd heard stories of civilians and students being gunned down by the very thing that was supposed to protect them.

Anger flooded into Roy's being and he raised his fist and sent in slamming into the motionless android. It hurt, but he didn't care. He was beyond caring. He punched it again and felt the faceplate crack even further. Still, the Atlesian knight stayed motionless. Roy began laying into the robot, hitting again and again.

"Do...Something...DAMMIT!" he yelled, emphasizing each word with a punch. He swung his foot into the head of the thing, finally knocking it off of its feet. The robotic soldier fell with a thud onto the pavement.

Roy was breathing hard, clenching and unclenching his hand and trying to ignore the pounding of blood in his ears.

"Well, I certainly hope you feel better."

He turned to see Glynda Goodwitch standing behind him with her arms crossed, regarding him sternly.

Roy avoided her gaze, "I don't." he said dully.

Glynda reached her hand up she adjusted her glasses. She looked exhausted, the circles under her eyes a testament that she'd been working all night. "I've always found punching things to be a poor stress reliever." She chided.

Roy bit back a remark, he felt something wet slid down his fingers. He ignored it "Why, why did this-" he swung his hand out, gesturing to the broken buildings "-happen?" he asked.

Glynda sighed, "I think we all would like an answer to that question." she said and Roy could've sworn he heard a hint of sadness in her words.

The professor's eyes flicked down to his hand and narrowed slightly. She strode forward and gripped his hand, bringing it up to inspect it. At some point while he'd been punching the Atlesian knight, the aura on his fingers had worn down. As a result his knuckles where cut, bruised and bleeding.

Glynda sighed, "in the future," she began "I suggest refraining from such self destructive actions." She looked down at Roy and he was suddenly very aware of the almost one foot difference in their heights.

"Yes professor" he sighed and gently slid her hand from her grasp.

Goodwitch nodded stiffly, "How is your team doing?" she asked.

Roy snorted and sat in the dirt. "Ebony and I are well enough, Hunter was taken back to Atlas by his father and Dahlia is still unconscious."

Glynda's usually hard expression softened slightly. "Hope she awakens soon."

Roy nodded and picked up a piece of rubble and turned over in his hands, feeling the rough chunk of masonry on the new scars on his palms. He hated them, the twin ragged white lines that marred his palms. He reminded himself to pick up some gloves soon.

"Do you think things will ever go back to normal?" He asked.

Goodwitch fiddled with the top of her crop, "will things improve and in some ways get better? Probably. Will things return to the way they once were?" she crossed her arms again and shook her head, "No, I don't think so."

Roy sighed and gently tossed the masonry back into the pile of rubble.

"did that answer your question?" the deputy headmistress asked.

Roy nodded sullenly "I don't like the answer" he growled.

Glynda shook her head sadly, "And many seldom do, the truth is rarely what we want."

Roy put his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do" he said in an almost whimper.

Glynda smacked him, none to gently, on the head with her crop. "Come now! Huntsmen never sit and lose hope! They get up and do something to find the way!"

Roy looked at the deputy headmistress, her eyes were steely and resolute. They gave him just an ounce of hope to grab onto and he seized it, standing and brushing himself off, "An old Qrow said I had to choose to either do something or curl up and die. Thank you Professor for helping me make my decision"

Glynda raised an eyebrow "Which is?"

Roy clenched his hand into a fist, "I'm going to find out who was responsible for this and make them pay" Glynda hmphed and walked off to fix another store front. Roy couldn't see it, but she was smiling slightly.

 **Well, sounds like Roy's got some planning to do! How are you enjoying the story? Be sure to let me know! Thank you for your continued support!  
** **Until next we meet.**


	19. Chapter 18: Our Last Night

**WARNING! The following chapter contains scenes of an intimate nature, if that isn't your cup of tea, go ahead and skip to the next one.**

The broken moon shone with a bright sheen through Roy's bedroom window.

Every couple years, the moon and its fragments would turn a deep orange for a single night, this phenomenon was called a blood moon. Because of this, the light streaming through Roy's window cast an orange glow across the room.

The young faunus lay in bed tossing and turning. He was leaving in the morning. Leaving Vale, leaving his team and leaving Ebony. The last one tore into Roy's heart deeper than any knife could.

It had been a mutual decision. Ebony had decided that she would stay behind and help rehabilitate Dahlia. she had volunteered to help and Roy had said he wanted to but Ebony had seen through that pretty quickly. "Shiroi Arashi don't lie to me. Just get out there, find who did it and bring them down."

Roy had set a date for his departure, every day closer to leaving made him question himself more and more. Should he leave? Should he stay with his team?

This internal questioning was the main reason he was having a tough time getting to sleep that final night. He sighed and shifted around again. The rehabilitation from his injuries had been tiring that day and Ebony still disapproved of his departing in the morning, but he had to go. He just had a feeling in his soul that if he didn't leave tomorrow, he would never leave at all.

As he turned toward the window, the light of the blood moon played across his face. He closed his eyes and basked in the moonlight, letting the red glare wash away his anxiety and apprehension.

His ears twitched as his bedroom door opened quietly. He could tell by the lightness of the footfalls that the late night intruder was Ebony. She had come to check on him the night before. Roy hadn't been able to sleep most nights and she'd started sitting by him and gently stroking his ears until sleep finally came. Considering this, Roy wasn't surprised that she was there.

Turning over, his jaw dropped as he saw her.

Ebony stood by the side of the bed, wearing a short dark blue satin nightgown that plunged in the neckline. Her hair was out of its normal ponytail and cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. The red light of the blood moon played across her face and the contours of her body in a way that took Roy's breath away.

Stepping forward Ebony grasped the covers and slid into bed next to him.

"Ebony! What?..." Roy sputtered, suddenly very aware of how shirtless he was.

Ebony placed her hand on his lips. "Just shut up for one second."

With his night vision, Roy noticed something odd; Ebony was blushing furiously and avoiding direct eye contact, both of which were very unlike her.

Roy started to blush as well and Ebony spoke. "You're leaving me tomorrow, I have no idea when we'll see each other again...you could die out there...I could die."

Ebony took a shaky breath and continued, "If this is the last night we see each other...I want you to hold me, in a way you've never held me before. I want you to hold me like a lover and not as a friend"

Roy's heart was pounding in his ears, every single one of his nerves were zinging. He reached out tentatively at first, but as his hand moved forward he gained confidence until his arms softly enveloped Ebony.

He became conflicted, "Ebony?"he whispered

Ebony looked up into his face, "Hmm?" she answered. Her warm skin felt smooth against his and her hair smelled faintly of lavender.

Roy was blushing so hard that he was surprised his face didn't burst into flames. "I've never…" He began tentatively "...Been with a girl like this before, I have no idea what to do."

Ebony blushed just as deeply as Roy, she leaned forward, "Let me show you…" she whispered.

She kissed Roy tenderly. Roy returned the kiss, tentatively at first but gaining courage with every second. Breaking the kiss, Roy tenderly gazed into Ebony's eyes and lightly caressed her cheek.

Ebony grinned and began to purr quietly, her entire body vibrating next to him. She placed her hands on Roy's shoulders and pushed.

The next thing Roy knew she was sitting on top of him, looking down at him with the eyes of a huntress. She leaned forward and kissed him again, her hands sweeping up through his hair and lightly caressing his cat ears.

Roy's nerves were a tingling, making himself even more sensitive to Ebony's loving touches. Unable to control himself, a purr of his own rumbled through his chest. Ebony's hands swept back down and caressed his chest softly. She passionately kissed him again and nipped his lip lightly, causing him to laugh a little.

She paused and gave him a questioning look. "You can touch me you know, I'm not a museum exhibit."

Roy blushed furiously again "I just didn't know where I was allowed…"

Ebony blushed an even deeper shade. "I...could give you a hint" she said softly. She reached down and grasped Roy's hands by the wrists. He could feel her hands shaking as she placed his hands on her hips and slowly guided them upwards, over her stomach.

Roy bit his lip; Ebony's body was still rumbling from her purring and was powerfully built from years of training, he could feel the firmly packed muscle under his fingers through the nightgown.

She brought his hands farther up her torso and hesitated, then slowly allowed his hands to slide onto her breasts.

Roy's mind melted into a puddle of different sensations and emotions. He could feel a pulsing and rumbling coming from under his hands, he assumed the rumbling was Ebony purring and the pulsing was her heartbeat. It was going very fast.

He squeezed the firm flesh lightly. Ebony gasped and Roy froze, looking into Ebony's face he saw her she had her eyes shut as if resisting something.

Roy began to pull his hands off of Ebony's breast, but she whispered "No, it's okay, I'm fine. Here."

She reached up and grasped the first button of her nightgown. She hesitated for a moment then undid the first three buttons of her nightgown, allowing the small ditch of cleavage to become a sprawling valley of soft flesh.

Roy quickly stopped her, his nerves couldn't take Ebony putting herself in such a position unless she was ready.

"I know I'm leaving in the morning," he whispered. "But I still don't think we should rush this."

Ebony started to protest softly, Roy gently placed his hand on her cheek,"I have faith in today, I have faith in tomorrow. This will not be our last night ever, just for now"

Ebony nodded and slowly re-buttoned her nightgown, Roy nodded back and reached out. Instead of touching her chest again, he pulled her down until she was almost lying on top of him.

He kissed her neck tenderly, carefully pleasuring her collarbone with his lips. Ebony breathed in sharply as his searching lips found an overly sensitive spot just above her collarbone.

He once again felt the rapid pulsing of her heart and the rumbling of her purring, he found a comfort in the feelings.

They continued in this way for another hour. Roy taking his turn to kiss, nuzzle and nip, showing her just how much he appreciated her.

Ebony finally slid from her spot on top of him, until she was laying next to him. She snuggled closer to him and he placed his arms around her. He felt as if letting go would cause the night to end, so he held on.

Ebony looked into his eye "Roy?" she said.

"hmm?" he responded,

"please…" she continued "be careful, don't start fights you can't win and please…" she sniffed "stay alive...for me?"

Roy reached over and caressed her cheek, it was wet with tears. he hugged Ebony closer "I'll try"

Ebony nodded and buried her face in his shoulder. They stayed enveloped in each other's arms until sleep overtook them just as the clock struck midnight.

 **WOAH! Where did this chapter come from!? My brain...it is to blame, not me!**

 **In all seriousness this was a super fun and challanging chapter to write, I hope Y'all enjoyed it!  
Until next we meet!**


	20. Chapter 19: First Step on the Road

The sun was shining through the window as Roy awoke. He rubbed the sleep from his eye and suddenly realized Ebony wasn't by his side anymore.

He'd expected this but it didn't lessen the stab of loneliness he felt. Roy sighed and got up, dressed quickly and grabbed his knapsack and canteen from where they lay on the floor of his bedroom.

Opening his door, he softly walked down the hall until he reached Dahlia' room, opening the door as quietly as he could, he stepped inside.

Walking forward Roy sadly gazed down at his sleeping teammate. The slight pink in her cheeks was the only color difference between her face and the sheets. Roy knelt by the bed and grasped Dahlia' tiny hand.

"I'm going today Lia" Roy whispered, "I'm going and I probably won't be back. That's why I'm counting on you to get better, so you can come and find me again" he grinned weakly, his mind turning to Hunter.

The two weeks had come on gone and with no sign of Hunter, Roy could only assume that he had been detained at home and forbidden to see Dahlia ever again.

Roy's hand clenched, Hunter's father was one the lowest people he'd ever met. Roy wondered what Hunter's mother was like as she'd been the main reason Hunter decided to go of mothers reminded Roy of his own and something inside him lit up.

"I'm going to find my mother Lia" he said excitedly.

With that, he turned and exited the room, closing the door softly behind him. Making his way downstairs, he unlocked the front door. He was about to walk out, when he noticed a cork board by the fridge. It had a few post-it notes stuck to it, but the main thing that had caught his eye was a group photo that had been taken of team SHDE during their very first semester at Beacon.

Walking over to the corkboard, Roy gently removed the photo from it and looked at it fondly. First, there was himself, smiling with his hood down and his ears on full display. Next was Hunter, grinning so broadly at the camera that his eyes almost disappeared. Perched on his shoulders was Dahlia, laughing with her hands in the air. Ebony was last, her hands behind her back and her head tilted coyly.

Everyone was so...happy. He wished it could be that way again.

 _No_ he thought, _not until the White Fang is dealt with._

His resolve rekindled and he tucked the photo into his knapsack. Opening the door once more, his nose was filled with the scent of a lovely spring morning. He took a moment to get a lungful of air, then strode forward onto the long drive that lead to the road. The driveway was bordered by tall fir trees that stretched 20 yards in all directions, the green needles giving off a delightful fresh scent.

As he walked through the trees, a flash of movement caught his eye, glancing to his left he caught sight of a figure darting between the trees. It paused and turned and he caught a flash of green eyes. Stepping off the path, Roy walked slowly over to Ebony.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye" he said slowly. Ebony nodded stiffly, looking everywhere but at him.

Roy hooked his finger under her chin and gently turned her face to look him in the eye. "Do you remember when I first joined the White Fang?" he asked. Ebony nodded and smiled

"You were a short, upstart little faunus." she recalled.

Roy nodded "And you were always daring me to do stuff, like wrap yarn around Ronin's antlers or sneak into HQ and hang the banner upside down"

Ebony let out a watery chuckle. "Yeah I remember that, you got in so much trouble for some of the stuff I had you do" several tears dripped down Ebony's cheeks.

"Ebony," Roy began "I need you to dare me one more time."

Ebony sniffed and scrubbed her hand across her eyes, "You name it" she said softly, Roy gently reached out and wiped a stray tear drop from her face

"Dare me to live; I'm stubborn enough that I'll stick to it."

Ebony finally broke and threw herself at Roy, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck. "You better live Shiroi Arashi, or I'll drag you back from hell myself" she sobbed into his shoulder.

Roy held Ebony tightly, desperately fighting to not break down. "I promise I'll do my best" he whispered.

He released Ebony and, turning away, walked quickly down the driveway. He didn't look back, he knew he couldn't, it would just make the pain jabbing at his heart worse. He reached the end of the driveway and turned right. The right stretch of road led to Vale and from there he hoped to catch a ride to Atlas. He looked down the road and sighed

"it's going to be a long trip."

:

Roy slowly, but surely made his way to Vale. Spring was just creeping back over the land and the trees where all budding once more. The air was cool and nipped at his nose and he kept his hood up as the cold air made his faunus ears ache.

When he reached the main city, he made his way to the docks where he spoke to the harbormaster.

"Ships leaving Vale headed to Atlas?...Eehh not that I know of. Way I heard it Atlas was getting ready to blockade its ports, no one gets in and no one gets out." The rugged blonde man said.

Roy nodded sullenly. "What about ships leaving for Patch?" he asked.

"Now that is a little more manageable," the harbormaster huffed. "There's one leaving in half an hour,"

Roy thanked the harbormaster for his time.

Half an hour later, Roy boarded the ship headed for Patch and in 20 minutes, stepped off the gangplank onto the wooden dock of the Patch harbor. As Roy walked toward Signal Academy, he could see its spire towering over the surrounding buildings so it wasn't too difficult to find his way. He arrived at the school, walked into the entry hall and up to the main desk.

A small willowy woman was typing away stoically at a document on her holo screen and didn't notice as Roy walked up. He cleared his throat and she looked up. She had deep purple eyes that, despite her age, sparkled with an excited light. Her hair was gray with a bright red highlight running through it and lastly she had a pair of jet black spectacles perched primly on her nose. "Can I help you?" she asked in a friendly, yet no nonsense voice.

"Yes" Roy replied, "I'm looking for Professor Xiao Long?"

The receptionist looked him up and down,"Professor Xiao Long is home on family business, but Professor Mignonette, our weapons instructor, is in."

Roy nodded, "Could you tell him a student from Beacon needs some advice?"

The woman narrowed her eyes at him but then reached over and paged the Professor.

A couple minutes later, Professor Mignonette came walking briskly down the hall. He was a man of medium height, but was still about 6" taller than Roy. He had long blond hair with green highlights drawn up in a ponytail. Behind a set of glasses sparkled a pair of mischievous aqua colored eyes.

"Hello!" he said excitedly. Reaching out he grasped Roy's hand and shook it warmly "I'm Professor Mignonette, but you can call me Lance" he said with a smile. Roy returned the smile halfheartedly.

"So," Lance continued, "How can I help?"

Roy took out a set of blueprints he had printed out earlier that day in Vale. He handed them to the teacher,

"I lost my weapon at the battle of Beacon and I'm in need of a new one before I set out again" He explained, "I was hoping to utilize Signal's weapon workshop?...If I may."

Lance studied the blueprints and whistled. "This is impressive, did you design it yourself?" Roy nodded and Lance made a sound of approval, "Of course you can use the workshop, can I see your Beacon ID on your scroll?" Roy showed it, Lance nodded "Shiroi Arashi...Okay everything looks good. Sorry about that, it's just procedure."

With that, Lance led him to the Workshop. It was a large room filled with a smattering of workbenches and smithies. weapon parts and spare metal was piled everywhere.

There wasn't anyone inside and Roy shot a quizzical glance at the teacher,

"Most of the other students have already completed their weapons for this semester it's basically empty so you won't be disturbed." Lance explained.

Roy let out a sigh of contentment, "Thank you sir" he said.

"Don't mention it," Lance boomed, "Go nuts!"

Roy smiled and began sifting through the piles of parts. He picked out a shiny piece of red metal and his grinned widened. He took a minute to hunt for more scraps of the same color. Minutes turned to hours, Roy was engrossed in building and didn't notice when the sun rose or fell, all that mattered was the weapon, his weapon.

:

Lance walked into Signal three days later, "Hey Sage, did that boy ever leave?"

The receptionist wrinkled her brow, "I don't think I saw him leave the building, he used the restroom quite a bit though."

Lance raised an eyebrow. Walking toward the workshop, he opened the door. There, asleep face down on the workbench, was Roy. Lance shook him slightly, "Kid? Kid wake up."

Roy started awake revealing lying on the workbench, the fully finished new weapon.

The blade was around 3' long and was a deep crimson with a cartridge space directly below the hilt. The handle was black with a red barrel running through it poking out at the end, near the hilt was a red metal trigger and a black metal hilt piece completed the handle. Sitting next to the sword was its sheath. It was black with red metal trimming. A red magazine led up to a side saddle feeder that linked to the blade. A long trigger protected by a silver trigger guard sat just behind the magazine.

Lance let out an impressed whistle, then looked at Roy. He winced slightly,

Roy's eye was red and bloodshot and the bag under it was almost purple.

"Maybe you should get some rest, if I were to guess I'd say you haven't slept since you got here." Lance said, patting the faunus' arm sympathetically.

Roy nodded groggily, "What do I owe you?" he asked.

Lance chuckled, "No charge"

Roy started to argue, but Lance continued over his protests. "You look like you've been through enough, it's rough losing a weapon and I'm glad I could help you replace it."

Roy nodded and thanked Lance. Picking the sword up, he lovingly cradled it in his arms

"Do you have a spare room I could spend a night in?" he asked.

Lance nodded and started to lead Roy to a small guest room in the school that was usually used to house guest teachers. "Oh!" Lance stopped and turned "have you figured out a name for it?"

Roy placed the blade into the sheath with a snap, "Her name...is Μόνος"

Lance nodded in approval, "A fine name."

 **Well now Roy has a new weapon...question is, does he know how to use it? Stay tuned to find out!  
Also Humongous thank you to Ford B and FiercesomestDefenestrator (Yes...that FiercesomestDefenestrator!) For the lovely reviews!  
You guys are helping me make this story better and for that you have my thanks.**

 **Until next we meet!**


	21. Chapter 20: Journey North

Roy was slumbering peacefully when he was awakened by a brisk knock at the door. Grumbling sleepily, he rolled out of bed, landing with a thump on the floor of the room. He slowly moved to the door,

"Who is it?" he asked groggily

"It's Prof. Mignonette, I thought I should wake you and bring you some breakfast!"

Roy came awake immediately at the mention of food and opened the door. There stood Lance, beaming and carrying a tray of food, "You've been sleeping for quite a bit, I thought you should eat something."

Roy nodded in thanks and, taking the tray began to dig in to the food. It was a modest breakfast of eggs and toast with a few slabs of beacon, but it tasted so good that Roy finished it in short order and sat back with a content sigh.

"That was delicious, my compliments to the chef" he said.

Lance chuckled and nodded. "Well thank you."

Roy stretched and yawned, "How long have I been asleep?"

Lance stroked his chin, "I'd reckon about 3 days."

Roy's eyes widened. "3 days?! I have to get going!"

he began rushing around the room collecting his belongings. He made a beeline for the door, but Lance stretched his arm out and blocked Roy's path.

"Whoa there! You can't go out into the wilds of Remnant in your state," his tone was suddenly dead serious, "It's suicide going out there with the amount of hours you stayed up and the meals you've skipped, you need to stay and get your strength back."

Roy began to protest, but Lance cut him off, "Kid, look at yourself in the mirror."

Roy turned to the small mirror hanging above the bedside table and was startled by his reflection. His faunus ears were bent backwards in protest and his hair was tousled every which way. His eye was still bloodshot and the circle under it was almost a dark blue.

He rubbed his eye to clear the sleep from it.

"I'm sorry sir," he said softly, "I have to go."

Lance looked him up and down as if measuring him up, he sighed and stood aside and let Roy by, "I just don't want to see another young huntsmen swallowed up by a mission."

Roy paused and looked back at Lance "I don't either" he said.

He meant it.

Roy closed the door to Signal academy behind him, Μόνος hanging at his waist and his knapsack on his back. He took in a breath of brisk morning air and started walking.

Soon he'd made his way to the edge of vale and stood at the city limits staring at the edge of foreverfall forest ahead of him. The black trunks and crimson leaves seemed to beckon him, the way the sun played across the blood red leaves taking his breath away.

He stepped off the paved road of vale onto the dirt track of the wild. His heart leapt and he broke into a walk, then a jog, then a full-fledged run. The wind whipped through his hair and his eye watered at the sudden cold of the air. He swept into the forest and tore down the dirt road for who knows how long.

He finally stopped for air, leaning against a tree and breathing in great gulps of air. He ran his hands up and down the rough black bark, reveling in the peace of the forest. once he'd regained his breath and stamina, Roy started to walk north.

As he rounded a large tree a couple of minutes later, he heard the rustling of leaves and the crack of a dried stick coming from behind him. He didn't turn around but swiveled his ears in that direction.

Reaching down he loosened Μόνος in her sheath, his grip tightening on the handle as he heard the sound again directly behind him.

Suddenly, He drew Μόνος with a lightning fast flick, whirling around he slashed once.

The severed head of a beowulf fell to the forest floor with a thud, followed by its body a second later.

Roy quickly returned Μόνος to her sheath with a brief twirl. He regarded the severed head of the Beowulf with a kind of morbid fascination. It lay staring at him sightlessly with it's dead red eyes, the mouth lolling open as it began to dissolve into a thick black mist. Roy shivered slightly and continued heading north.

He walked north for several days. along the way he had several close call with the creatures of grimm and many a night was spent tied to a tree branch, hoping the roving packs of beowolves and ursai wouldn't notice him.

He eventually reached his destination, a small smuggling port on the coast of Sanus, just as spring really began in earnest. When he arrived, he talked to the keeper of the local bar about where he could find a smuggling vessel headed for Atlas. The man had been willing to say for a few lien,

"Well there is one crazy enough to try it, try looking at dock C" the man said gruffly.

After thanking the barkeep and paying the him, Roy headed down to the docks where he found a small airship parked in the C docking bay.

It was a quaint vessel with a copper hull and large, wing like sails fanning out behind the vessel. Near the back between the sails, Roy could see a door that led to the small cockpit.

"She's a right beauty isn't she" a voice spoke from behind him.

Turning around Roy had to gaze upwards to look the tall woman behind him in the eyes.

"Hello," he said, "I take it you're the captain?"

The woman grinned. "Sure am!" she replied.

The woman stood about six feet in height and had vibrant purple hair that was pulled up in a thick ponytail that fell almost to the ground. Her eyes were pink and sparkled with a fierce light.

"So," the captain began, "What can I do you for?"

Roy smiled, "I need passage to Atlas."

The gleam in the woman's eye grew brighter.

"Ooh that's a fun one" she said. "It's not easy though and it'll cost you a bit more."

Roy raised an eyebrow "How much?"

The woman played with her ponytail, "Hhmmmm, well given the time for the voyage and the fuel….500 lien."

Roy winced inwardly, that was basically half of what he had. He nodded, "Sounds reasonable."

The woman's face lit up, "Well alright then, when would you want to leave?"

Roy grinned sheepishly "Now?" he said tentatively.

The captain guffawed, "I'm good with that! All aboard that's going aboard!"

Roy walked onto the airship and felt the engines roar to life beneath him as the captain walked up behind him. "Didn't catch your name, I like to know my passengers before I leave."

Roy laughed, "Understandable, my name is Shiroi Arashi but you can just call me Roy."

The woman shook Roy's hand fiercely, "Nice to make your acquaintance Roy, you can call me Aster" With all affairs in order, the small vessel T _he Dusty Daydream_ set out for Atlas.

 **Look there! In the darkness! is THAT A SHORT CHAPTER!?**

 **A bit yes, apologies for the shorter ones, view them as set up for more adventures to come! As always, if you something that you didn't like or something that needs to be fixed, let me know in a review! thank you for your support!**

 **Until next we meet!**


	22. Chapter 21: Land of Ice and Snow

The Dusty Daydream had made good time and they'd reached Atlas in only 5 days. The blockade hadn't been implemented yet, so they had no trouble passing through security and dock at a little out of the way bay on the western edge of the city.

Roy thanked Aster profusely for taking the risk and had paid his fee plus a little extra.|

"You were a great passenger," Aster said, "If you ever need another ride, don't hesitate to ask!"

Roy smiled and shook Aster's hand, "I won't. Are you leaving immediately?" he asked.

Aster thought for a moment, "Nah, I'll probably stay the week, see the sights, get a drink: the usual."

Roy laughed, "You do that!"

He took his leave of the ship and headed to deeper into the city, passing through familiar haunts and places he hadn't seen in years. finally, he was standing at the top of his old street.

Memories came flooding back; the few warm days in the summer, attending classes at the local prep school and visiting Simon, listening to his tales of the Great War.

Roy walked slowly down the street until he was standing in front of his old house. The sight of the house triggering a torrent of emotions.

The first was anticipation; he hadn't seen his Mother in four years and couldn't wait to see her again. The second was apprehension; His mother thought he was dead, and he'd never taken the time to tell her otherwise, would she be happy to see him? Would she believe that it was actually him? Would she be angry?

No, it's best not to think about it.

Walking up to the door, he knocked softly. A couple of moments later, the door opened and his heart fell as he saw that it was not his mother but a mossy haired middle aged man wearing glasses.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"I'm sorry to bother you sir, but my mother and I used to live here" Roy explained.

The man's eyes lit up, "Ah you must be referring to Sharon, yes she lived here until about two years ago."

Roy's heart fell the rest of the way into his toes. "Do you happen to know where she went?" he asked desperately.

"Yes actually!" the man said quickly, "She moved to Mistral."

Roy's heart rose slightly, but the thought of journeying all the way to Mistral made his head hurt. It was quite a long way. "Thank you sir you've been a big help."

Turning away from the man, Roy began to walk back to the sidewalk. He was about to turn and walk back down the street, when the house across the street caught his eye.

It was Simon's old house.

Walking across the street, he stood at the end of the driveway and took in the sight of the house. It looked like no one had lived in it for years.

The lawn was overgrown, the white picket fence was chipped and leaning in spots and it looked like someone had thrown a rock through one of the windows.

Roy gripped the fence one final time and turned away from the house. Walking slowly away from two pieces of his past, now nothing more than empty shells sitting on an Atlas street.

Roy caught an airship short time afterwards and instructed the pilot to take him down to Mantle. As they cleared the edge of the city, Roy took to glancing out the window to watch the scenery flash by. As they soared over the warehouse district, Roy noticed the charred remains of a building among the others.

"Stop! What is that building?" he asked the pilot.

The airship slowed to a stop and the driver looked toward the ruins, "Oh that's the old warehouse 13 building, they moved to a new building about 3 years ago after the White Fang burned it down."

Roy's heartbeat quickened. He handed the driver his fee, "Can you drop me off down there?"

The driver gave him an incredulous look before maneuvering the airship down onto the broad lane leading toward the ruin, "You're the customer."

Roy stepped out of the airship, "Can you wait here for a bit?" He asked.

The pilot shrugged, "It'll cost you."

Roy nodded and headed toward the building's remains. He stopped at the corner of one of the nearby warehouses and gazed across at where the building's front door had been. As he stood there, memories came flooding back.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that….Cat got your tongue?"

Voices swirled around Roy's mind and it almost felt like he could actually hear them. His faunus ears swiveled and twitched as if trying to catch further echoes, but none came.

He slowly walked toward the ruined warehouse and stepped into the shell of the building. Broken and burned shelves were scattered around and he spotted several blackened crates still sitting on some of them.

"Spread out and find that guard"

He tried to ignore the echoes and walked further into the warehouse. As Roy walked down the aisle, they became harder and harder to shut out.

"What are you doing?...ROY! COME ON THIS-."

"NO!" Roy cried into the empty air of the warehouse. Gripping his head, he sank to his knees in the soot. Am I going crazy? He thought. Something wet slid down his face and, touching his cheek, he found tears.

It's this place, the memories….

He clenched his fist, I shouldn't be here. He stood and brushed the soot off his knees and continued into the warehouse.

As he walked down one of the aisles, he came across a large black mark on the ground; chunks of floor were missing in the center, a sign that an explosion had occurred there. As he walked forward, his eyes trained on the small crater, his foot bumped something. Looking down he found himself staring into the glassy visor of the twisted wreckage of an Atlesian knight.

"I will not be killed by you!"

He shut out the echo and proceeded toward the remains of an exit door. A shelf next to the door had escaped the worst of the fire and Roy noticed a brown hand print on the edge of it.

A blood stain, it has to be. He thought.

Turning away from the shelf, the faunus strode through the exit and headed back toward the airship.

The pilot took him back to Atlas, heading toward an address the faunas had given him. A few minutes later, Roy finally stepped out of the ship about a block from his destination. A familiar smell filled his nostrils. A smell that took him back to the first time he'd walked down that very street.

It was the smell of a small blue and white flower with spade shaped leaves.

The flowers filled the window boxes of almost every house on the street. Roy continued walking down the street until he saw it. A small white house with navy blue shutters. Roy eventually found himself standing out on the sidewalk in front of the quaint house and paused.

I wonder if she's home he thought.

He slowly ascended the small flight of stairs that led up to the door and raised his hand to knock. He froze and stood there, very much unsure of himself.

A crash sounded from behind him and he spun around and half drew Μόνος.

Sierra Summerfell stood behind him her hands covering her mouth, the crash had been caused by her dropping her paper sack of groceries. Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes and she was shaking slightly.

Roy walked toward her slowly. "Sierra? I'm...I'm back," he stammered.

Sierra threw herself into his arms, "Welcome back...You Idiot," she sobbed.

Roy chuckled to hide his own tears as he gripped Sierra tightly. "Is that anyway to greet your long lost roommate?" he asked.

Sierra pulled herself from the hug and play punched him in the arm "Roommate? I thought you were just a drain on my finances."

Roy put on a show of mock indignation, "Drain on your finances? I never!" He bent down and began picking up Sierra's groceries. "I hope nothing broke."

Sierra scrubbed her hand across her eyes, "Yeah me too, the only thing in there that could have broken the glass jar of cherries."

Roy peered into the sack: the cherry jar had indeed cracked but hadn't shattered. Reaching into the sack he fished out a letter with the Schnee family crest on it. The corner had been soaked with sugar syrup.

"What's this?" he asked Sierra, offering the letter.

She took it gingerly trying not to get the sweet liquid on her fingers. "Oh this? It's my ticket to a fundraiser the Schnee's are holding to support the victims of the Vale attack, I'm probably not going to go."

Roy shot her a quizzical glance,

"Too posh for my liking," Sierra explained.

Roy raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like fun," he said.

Sierra smirked, "Good joke Roy, a Faunus would totally be welcome at a Schnee party."

Roy looked her in the eye without smiling and Sierra stopped smirking. "You're serious aren't you?"

Roy nodded and Sierra let out a sigh, "Come inside and we'll discuss it, how's Ebony? Is she well? What happened to your old sword? I mean I like the new one…."

Roy and Sierra sat in her living room. Sierra sat in the poofy navy blue armchair facing Roy who sat on the big red loveseat. Roy had just finished recounting everything that happened since he left Sierra's house a year and a half ago.

"That's a lot to take in," she said.

Roy nodded "I know it is." he said.

Sierra reached across to Roy and took his hand in hers. She slipped his glove off and traced the long white scar that stretched across his palm.

"So," she said, "You actually want to go through with this?" Roy nodded and Sierra sighed, "I still don't think it's a good idea."

Roy chuckled, "Don't worry Sierra, I'll be fine"

Sierra chewed a fingernail, "There's no way they'll let you in, we'll have to find some way to hide your ears."

Roy nodded again. "I understand."

Sierra stood in a very business like manner, "Well now, we just have to find you something to wear!"

Roy looked down at his coat and mud stained boots, "what's wrong with this?" He quipped.

Sierra bopped him on the head with a light *whap* "Now I know you're kidding, you have a better sense of style than that."

Roy smiled, "yeah, I do. What would you suggest?"

Sierra gave Roy an appraising look "Hmmm, Probably a casual suit nothing super fancy but something that makes you look like Atlas highlife" She snapped her fingers, "I have just the thing!" She disappeared upstairs for a couple seconds, when she returned she was holding a suit.

It was a blue shirt with a black vest and black tie, the vest had an embroidery on the back of a blue snowdrop. Roy whistled, "Doesn't that look dashing, is it yours?" The second half of the question was very incredulous.

Sierra blushed, "N-no it…" she sighed, "it belonged to my ex"

Roy looked down; embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I didn't know." he said softly.

"It's okay, he was an ass anyway" Sierra said with a snicker, Roy looked up and saw that she was grinning broadly. "Here!" she said shoving the suit out to him "Try it on!"

Roy took the suit and retreated to the bathroom, where he proceeded to get dressed. The shirt fit pretty well but the vest, he thought, was loose on him. Stepping out of the bathroom he presented himself to Sierra.

"Well?" he said, "How do I look?"

Sierra growled playfully. "Rather dashing, if I'm telling the truth." She snickered, "The vest is a little ...loose."

Roy adjusted the middle button of the vest. "Sierra please, I look like I'm wearing a bag."

Sierra walked in a circle around him, "Ah!" she exclaimed "I see the problem" she fiddled with a strap in the back. The vest tightened considerably, cinching closer to his waist.

Roy took a deep breath, "Much better." he said with a sigh.

Sierra snorted, "You don't wear a lot of fancy clothing do you?"

Roy shook his head, "I've only worn a vest once, at Beacon academy's annual dance."

Sierra burst out laughing, "You?! At a dance!?" Sierra leaned against the wall and laughed long and hard.

"What!?" Roy asked, a tad hurt.

"Just the thought of you tripping around the dance floor was too much," Sierra gasped out.

"I don't trip around, I'm actually quite a good dancer," Roy said indignantly.

Sierra snorted quite loudly with laughter. "Oh I can imagine, who did you go with?"

Roy blushed "Ebony," he said sheepishly.

"I knew it," Sierra said with a slight sneer in her voice. Roy was blushing furiously, desperate to change the subject he asked, "Sooo, what should we do about…" he motioned to his ears.

Sierra stood and looked thoughtfully at him for a moment before running back upstairs and coming back with a black trilby hat. "Let's try this" she said, holding it up.

After a bit of finagling, Sierra managed to fold Roy's ears so that they both fit under the hat. Roy tipped the brim at her, "M'lady," he quipped.

Sierra flicked his nose. "Cut it out" she said, suppressing a grin.

Roy ruefully rubbed his nose tip, "What day is the fundraiser?" he asked.

"Tomorrow night at 7:30" Sierra replied. Roy blinked, Good timing, he thought. He walked to the mirror in the entryway and struck a pose. He turned to Sierra with a grin,

"I look forward to it."

 **M'LADY!  
**  
 **Sorry, I had to think of a hat that didn't look out of place with the outfit and a trilby seemed the best bet. Welcome back to the story Sierra!  
** **Until next we meet!**

 **Ar3mRising.**


	23. Chapter 22 Social Ice

The evening of the fundraiser arrived sooner than Roy anticipated. One minute his head was hitting the pillow in Sierra's guest room and the next he was getting ready in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Slicking his hair back and trading out his soft leather eyepatch for his more fashionable red velvet one.

Sierra watched as he buttoned up the white shirt and struggled with the tie.

"Oh for Pete's sake," She exclaimed, "Here."

Twirling Roy around to face her, she tied his tie with a flourish.

Roy looked bemused, "They teach you that at your job?"

Sierra cinched the tie tighter, "As a matter of _fact_ yes, ties are standard issue for Schnee company receptionists."

Roy gagged slightly "I can see that, could you loosen it? Please?"

Sierra giggled and loosened the tie as asked. Roy took a deep breath. "Hoo! How many more minutes until I should start walking for the Schnee estate?"

Sierra looked at her watch"Probably around 35 or so, but you could always get there early to scope out some easy escape routes"

Roy smirked, "I mean you're not wrong."

:

Roy set out for the Schnee family estate and arrived at the mansion with about five minutes to spare.

It was a very large house with a front gate and a large set of marble steps leading up to the large double doors. Roy counted the steps as he ascended. There were 24 stark white steps, each one gleaming in the moonlight like fresh fallen snow.

He handed the attendant at the door his coat and ticket. After briefly scanning the invitation, the attendant motioned Roy inside.

"Welcome sir, the auditorium is down the hall to the right," he said brusquely.

Roy thanked the man warmly and walked to the auditorium. His boots clicked on the Atlesian marble as he strode down the hallway to the large double doors and part of him wondered if the man would have been so polite if he'd had his ears uncovered.

The walls of the hallway were a stark white, while the ceilings were a bright blue. It was unsettlingly clean, like the house was cleaned daily to hide the evidence of some terrible crime. Roy walked into the auditorium and sat down in his seat. The auditorium slowly filled with guests and the lights began to dim.

A spotlight suddenly cut through the darkness and illuminated a tall man with white hair and mustache. He was very thin and his eyes were like chips of ice; cold and shrewd.

"Esteemed guests," he said, sweeping his hand over the gathering, "Tonight, we gather to raise awareness and funds for the poor people of the kingdom of Vale."

Roy glowered at the man from the darkness. Jacques Schnee, well known to the faunus as an oppressive, greedy man who cut corners when ever he could. These corporate shortcuts had inadvertently led to the deaths of many faunus in the dust mines.

"To open our evening of charity, my dear daughter Weiss, who fought bravely at the battle of Beacon, shall perform a song, I hope you enjoy it!" Jacques finished and exited the stage.

The spotlight faded to black, then lit up a pale bluish white.

A figure stood bathed in the spotlight, her long hair, drawn up in an Atlesian side tail, was the same white as her father's and her deep Sapphire blue dress accentuated the paleness of her skin.

A soft piano started to play and Roy's ears perked up, causing his hat to edge forward slightly on his head.

Weiss took a breath and sang out the first graceful note;

 _Mirror, can you hear me?_  
 _Do I reach you?_  
 _Are you even listening?_  
 _Can I get through?_

Roy felt as though every hair on his body was standing on end. The song was a haunting, soaring melody, the quiet defiance in her tone giving the faunus goosebumps.

 _I won't be possessed!_  
 _Burdened by your royal test!_  
 _I will not surrender,_  
 _This life is mine!_

Roy felt like he couldn't breathe until the final note rang out across the auditorium. Afterwards he applauded until his hands hurt.

The lights came back up and everyone slowly began to file out into a large room with soaring windows. Three things stood at the end of the room, two large paintings and a sculpture.

Roy's throat constricted; the middle painting was a breathtakingly beautiful painting of Beacon. The care and detail of the painting was amazing and Roy felt that if he were to step into the painting everything would go back to normal. He walked over and stood in front of the painting and stared longingly at it, drinking in the colors and details.

Having looked at the painting long enough, He finally turned and began mingling with the other guest. The drink waiters moved, almost gracefully about the room. Roy walked up to one and fished a drink off the tray "Thank you" he said sweetly before walking away, drink in hand.

He got in line to greet the family. From what he could see it was just Weiss and her father. The Schnee patriarch had his daughter close to him almost like a pet, and Roy could tell from the way she was looking around, that she would rather be anywhere else.

The line moved forward slowly but surely until it was finally Roy's turn to shake hands with the Schnees. He reached out and shook Weiss's father's hand, making a mental note to wash his hand later.

"My name is Shiroi Arashi, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance" he said with a manufactured warmth.

"Likewise," The Schnee patriarch said stiffly, Roy could tell the pleasure was not mutual in any means. "My name is Jacques Schnee, head of the Schnee family, this is my daughter Weiss"

Roy reached out and, gently taking Weiss's hand, he bent forward and gently kissed it; a traditional Atlesian greeting.

"Ms. Schnee and I have already met." He said, "I hope that you haven't forgotten already."

Weiss opened his mouth to speak but Jacques cut across her, "I'm sure she hasn't-"

"I'm sure," Roy interrupted, "That she can speak for herself."

A tinge of red snuck into Jacques' face.

Roy turned to Weiss "So, Ms. Schnee, if you don't mind me asking, how does it feel being exploited? Paraded around to distract from the fact that your father isn't a pure blooded Schnee?"

The red in Jacques' face deepened and his mustache seemed to bristle.

Roy fixed him with a level stare,"It doesn't take someone with four ears to hear the rumors about how much Schnee blood you actually have, Jacques." He said, tipping his hat to reveal his faunus ears.

Jacques glared at Roy, practically steaming from the ears, "Security!" he shouted "Escort this _animal_ out!" he ground out the last part.

Roy kept his eye locked with the Schnee Patriarch as he was grabbed roughly by the shoulder and frog marched to the door.

As Roy stepped onto the front step of the house, the guard swung his boot into the small of the faunus' back, sending him tumbling down the steps into the street in front of the estate.

He landed with a harsh thud, his body already aching from the impact. Sitting up gingerly, he carefully checked himself for injuries. He'd found several bruises when he felt something wet slide down his arm. Turning it to better view the injury he saw a tear in the elbow of the shirt, through the tear he saw a deep scrape in his arm. Blood had welled up and was dripping down his arm. He was confused, _My aura should have caught that._

He sighed, stood and brushed himself off.

"I guess I deserved the ejection." he mumbled to himself.

A shadow fell across him and he heard a very commanding voice ring out from the top of the stairs."I wondered when I would run into you again."

Turning around, Roy looked up and greeted the individual. "Hello, General Ironwood"

The general strode down the steps until he was standing in front of Roy."Would you kindly accompany me back to my office? I have a couple questions for you." he said.

Roy stared levelly at Ironwood, "Do I have a choice?" he asked.

"Not really, no." Ironwood replied, returning Roy's level stare.

"Then by all means" Roy spoke stiffly, "lead the way"

 **Well well, this just got interesting, what does Ironwood want with Roy? What's Wrong with Roy's aura? WAS ROY ATTEMPTING TO DRINK ALCOHOL DESPITE BEING UNDER AGE?**

 **ALL THESE ANSWERS AND MORE, NEXT TIME ON DRAGON B- I MEAN TALES OF REMNANT!.**

 **Also fun fact, Sierra is the receptionist from _"A Minor Hiccup" RWBY Vol 2. Chpt._** _ **3!**_

 **if anyone felt like this chapter felt shoehorny in any way. let me know in the comments.(If I'm being honest this is probably the chapter I'm most iffy about)**

 **Until we next meet!**


	24. Chapter 23: Tight-Spun Tales

Ironwood sat across from Roy in his office. The office itself was massive, with an ornate floor and a large swooping ceiling. A window behind the large wooden desk that was just as massive, opened up to a pleasant view of downtown Atlas. The desk was set up on a dais, sitting higher than the chair that Roy was currently sitting in.

Roy sighed heavily and thought about his situation. It was time to face the music and tell Ironwood everything about who he had been and...Warehouse 13.

Ironwood spoke first, "After we first met during that incident with three of my...well, ex-students, something about you didn't sit right with me. A few months later my suspicions were proven right when it was revealed that you'd been a member of the White Fang. I wanted to know more, so when I got back to Atlas I had my assistants do some research into your background. And what we found was indeed interesting."

Ironwood slid a medium stack of files toward Roy, "Shiroi Arashi, by all reports a model student, you attended a prep school for several years until dropping out when you were 14. After that all trace of you drops off until spring 1 ½ years ago when the Schnee company executive was kidnapped."

Ironwood slid a hand-sketched picture of Roy across the desk, "The wife of the executive said that a boy matching your description tried to stop several other White Fang from beating her husband. A couple of weeks later, a vigilante began to operate in the central Atlas area."

Ironwood slid a larger pile of files over and began reading them off, "Name: Unknown, several robberies prevented, multiple assaults halted as well as multiple "anonymous" tip offs to local authorities." Ironwood flipped over the page, "and one attempted hostage rescue."

This last report caused Roy's cat ears to droop and and he stared at the floor. Ironwood noticed this reaction, "I have reason to believe that you and this mystery vigilante are one and the same."

Roy nodded. "You would be correct"

Ironwood steepled his fingers, "come on Arashi, tell me the story"

Roy looked up, "It's a long one" he stated.

Ironwood leaned back in his chair, "I've got time" he stated simply.

Roy nodded "You're not the first person I've told this story too" He began, "And I doubt you'll be the last. This story begins with the White Fang's infiltrated SDC Warehouse #13..."

Two Years Earlier

Roy peered around the corner of the warehouse toward a Schnee dust company warehouse. As he gazed into the darkness, a small buzz of adrenaline was making it hard to lay still. This was it! The White Fang's biggest raid to date! Days of preparation and practice drills had led up to this moment, it was finally time to put all that training to use.

As Roy scanned the shadowy buildings surrounding the warehouse for the signal light, he heard a slight noise as someone stepped on a piece of liter behind him. He grinned,

"You're gonna have to try harder than that if you want to sneak up on me." he said.

A young male faunus stepped up next to him. He was taller than Roy and had medium sized antlers on either side of his head.

"I am trying dude! Not all us faunus can see in the dark you know." He said.

Turning to face his friend, Roy wiped his hands off on his White Fang uniform. He shook his head, feigning displeasure.

"Excuses, excuses Ronin." he quipped.

Ronin came over and stood next to Roy. Reaching over, he flicked Roy's right cat ear which stuck up through a hole in his hood.

"Ow!" Roy clapped a hand to his ear, "What was that for?"

Ronin smirked at him, "For being a smart ass." .

Roy grumbled to himself.

"Eh? What's that?" Ronin said playfully, "Cat got your tongue?"

Roy glared at Ronin, he disliked that phrase. "At least I'm not mistaken for a coat rack like some people" He shot back.

Ronin put on a face of mock indignation, "That woman was half blind!"

A female voice spoke from behind them, "As I remember it. I was the one who hung the coat on you and I can see just fine."

They both turned to see Ebony walking down the alley towards them. Ronin looked affronted "Why'd you hang it on me in the first place?" he asked.

Ebony shrugged, "Do I need a reason?"

"Yes" Ronin said indignantly, "And I expect an apology."

Ebony rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'm sorry I hung my jacket on you, happy?" She sighed and walked back up the alley.

Roy watched her go, then turned and gave Ronin a hefty poke in the ribs. Ronin yelped and jumped, "Oy! What'd you do that for?" he questioned.

Roy smirked, "Do I need a reason?" he replied smugly. Now it was Ronin's turn to glare,

"Oh you're so amusing." he said sarcastically. "Unfortunately, I know your secret."

Roy rolled his eyes, "Yeah? And what secret is that?" he asked.

Ronin's eyes gleamed with a mischievous light, "That you, Shiroi Arashi, have a crush on the lovely Ms. Ebony Winterhold."

Roy's smirk faltered a bit and he turned away from Ronin's grinning face to look toward where Ebony had walked. At the very end of the alley were the rest of his comrades. A group of them were gathered around Simon, the burly wolf faunus that was their leader for the evening. At the age of 47, he was one of the older White Fang members. He was taller than Ronin and though older was still lively and strong.

At the moment, he was showing some of the members a map of the facility they were about to raid. Looking up, he caught Roy looking at them rather than looking for the signal light. "Arashi! Eyes front, don't want to miss the signal flare now do we?!" he called to Roy,

"No sir!" Roy called back.

Roy's father: a huntsman, had rarely been home when Roy was a boy, so he'd found a father figure in the older wolf faunus who lived across the street. Sometimes, Simon's daughter would visit for a few days and she and Roy would play until the sun went down.

During the summer, the three of them would sit on Simon's front step and he would tell Roy and his daughter stories of the exploits of the faunus during the Great War. Roy took these stories to heart and, when he turned 13, asked his mom to attend the local combat prep school.

After a bit of begging, she had relented and he began taking classes that same year.

He excelled in his training, but was always getting into trouble. The primary reason for this being that he had a difficult time conforming to the strict militaristic rules of the Atlas academy. When Roy turned 15, Simon had come over to his house and asked to see Roy privately. "Roy, I have been invited to join the ranks of the White Fang, it's a group working toward faunus equality. I wondered if you might want to come with me and make a difference for your species."

Roy had been puzzled, "But Simon!" he'd exclaimed, "I thought you were all for peaceful equality. the way the White Fang are going, that doesn't seem like it'll happen"

Simon had set a hand on Roy's shoulder. "I tried son, but day after day, year after year, nothing changes! I'm ready to try it the White Fang's way. You with me?"

Roy had nodded, "I'm with you."

His mother took a lot more convincing, but after Simon stepped in and promised to watch over him, she had finally allowed him to go. After they arrived, he and Simon had been warmly received and initiated. They had been shown to their lodgings that they shared with a young buck faunus named Ronin.

Bringing his mind back to the present, Roy turned back around and scanned the building behind the warehouse.

Suddenly a light flashed on and off quickly from one of the windows; The signal!

Roy turned around. Raising his hand, he made a circular motion with his fingers then pulled his fist down: the signal for "move in"

Simon nodded and addressed the rest of the group, "Alright people," he said in a hushed tone. "Masks on."

All the faunus slipped on their masks, white and red cutting through the darkness. Roy turned to look at the warehouse and slipped his own mask over his face, the adrenaline surging within him again. The raid was about to begin!

 **So big news! We've reached 1,000 views! I could never imagine my little story getting so many views! Thank you!  
This Chapter marks the beginning of a extended flashback arc, It is the part of the story that is actually the oldest, being the first bunch of scenarios I ever wrote. I'm extremely proud of it, but once again, if you spot any errors or even something that makes you roll your eyes...I want to know!**

 **Until next we meet!**

 _ **-Ar3m**_


	25. Chapter 24: Night of Fire and Dust

Twenty faunus snuck silently through the darkness toward the warehouse.

The intelligence gained over weeks of careful scouting and reconnaissance had reported that the warehouse had only 3 perimeter guards and only one premise guard. The plan was to sneak in, silently incapacitate the single guard then proceed to steal weapons and dust.

"For insurance." Simon had said when Roy had questioned him on why they were stealing weapons. "You never know when humans will try something!"

At present, the group reached the door and a faunus who was proficient in hacking picked the electronic lock and the door slid open with a slight hiss. As they filed carefully through the door into nearly complete darkness, Simon had passed out glow sticks and a small chorus of snaps and pops heralded the activation of nearly 20 of the luminescent green rods.

A soft green light illuminated the inside of the warehouse, revealing shelves upon shelves of boxes stamped with the Schnee Dust Co. logo stretching before them.

"Alright," Simon said, "Spread out and find that guard."

The faunus slunk outwards from the door, searching like predators looking for prey.

The poor guard never saw them coming.

He was leaning against the single illuminated support post, the cigarette in his hand making him an easy target for the faunus' heightened senses.

A young fox faunus named Luna dropped down on him from a shelf and knocked the guard out cold. They tied him to a support post with cable they found and gagged him. Posting Luna to stand guard and the rest of them turned their attention to the mission at hand.

One half of the group, overseen by Simon started breaking crates open to find weapons. Meanwhile the other half, led by Ebony, started filling the duffle bags they had brought with dust crystals, canisters and ammunition. Roy had been helping Ebony's group but had wandered away hoping to find something good.

As he rummaged through a crate of decommissioned body armor, his ears picked up the sound of multiple crashing sounds. At first he paid it no heed thinking it was Simon's group, but then he heard heavy mechanical footsteps echoing faintly through the warehouse.

Following the sound to the end of the aisle, he turned the corner and spotted slight movement at the opposite end of the aisle. He took several steps forward until the origin of the movement was clearly visible.

A line of white combat bots, each one armed with a dust rifle, marched relentlessly forward.

Roy didn't recognize the model but they appeared to be an upgraded version of the Atlesian-130 models, also the fact that they were white combat bots practically screamed Atlas,

Roy turned around and ran as fast as he could back to Ebony's group,

"We need to go." he whispered to her

"Why?" she hissed back,

"There are Atlas bots wandering around the warehouse, and their armed." Roy said frantically, keeping his voice low.

Ebony's eyes widened. "But...that wasn't in the Intel." she breathed.

Roy made the emergency hand signal to Ebony's group and they picked up their half-full duffle bags and headed toward the exit with Roy and Ebony following.

As the group exited, Roy remembered Simon and Ronin's group, He stopped and started to head back in.

Ebony grabbed his arm, "What are you doing?"

Roy shrugged her off, "I need to go tell Simon, you get your group to safety."

Ebony gave him a look, he smiled, " I'll be fine, now go!"

Racing back in, Roy searched frantically until he found Simon's group. When Simon saw him sprinting down the aisle towards him, he was not pleased,

"Arashi! Why aren't you with Winterhold's group?" he barked.

Roy threw him a hasty salute, "Simon I've discovered Atlesian Knights patrolling the premises,and I think we should abort."

Simon's brow furrowed, "Retreat? That's ridiculous, I'll have you know I've taken out my fair share of 130s"

Roy started to explain that they weren't 130s, but a harsh cry and the sound of gunfire interrupted him mid sentence.

Simon spun around to face the sound, "That sounded like Luna!"

The entire group followed Simon and Roy to the spot where they had left Luna. As they rounded the corner of the aisle they came upon a horrible sight.

Luna lay dead, his eyes staring, glazed and sightless toward the ceiling. His body was riddled with dozens of bullet wounds and blood was spreading out from his corpse, glistening a sickly red in the moonlight.

Roy's body went numb, he tore his eyes away from Luna's corpse to focus on one odd detail about the scene;

The guard who originally appeared to be unconscious was staring blankly ahead, glassy and unseeing. Blood dripping down his face from a bullet wound square between his eyes.

:

Why was the guard dead?

Why would Atlas tech kill the guard?

Roy barely had time to think before a startled cry from the back of the group interrupted his train of thought and caused him and Simon to whirl around,

The upgraded Atlesians stood behind them, weapons leveled. The faunus scattered and the Atlesian knights opened fire.

Roy spun wildly in a circle searching desperately for a way out. His ears flattened back along his skull as he heard several of his comrades screaming around him and, looking around, he saw them fall one by one.

Simon's barking voice cut through the carnage and Roy looked around. He saw Simon firing a weapon from a crate at the Atlesians, doing the best he could to keep them back.

"EVERYONE RUN BUT STICK TOGETHER!"he roared. Turning, Simon saw Roy. "ROY! COME ON, THIS…"

The left side of Simon's head erupted in a gout of blood as a bullet tore through his head and exited above his left eye. Simon looked bewildered for a second, then he slowly toppled forward.

Roy yelled out, it wasn't really words just a yell of grief and rage. He took a step towards Simon, reaching out for his mentor's body. A bullet almost took his hand off and he scrambled backwards.

Turning, Roy ran faster than he ever had before. He was sobbing, but no tears were falling. He turned right and hit a dead end.

Dropping the dust-filled duffel bag he was still carrying, he started to climb the shelves using the wooden crates as handholds. He was just reaching for the next crate, when a bullet smashed into it shattering it and sending splinters into his hand.

The shock caused him to yell and release his grip. Dropping back down to the floor, he turned around and saw that a lone Atlesian knight had followed him.

Rage like he had never known filled his heart and clouded his mind. Roy snatched a plasma bayonet from a box to his right and, letting loose a wild cry, he charged the lone foe. He jumped into the air and flew toward the unflinching metal soldier, clutching the plasma blade ready to deliver a killing blow.

The Atlesian Knight moved faster than Roy had reckoned and its rifle swung up and fired.

The shot smashed into his side, he was stopped mid air by the force and fell heavily to the ground.

Reaching down Roy clutched his side, blood oozing between his fingers. His stomach lurched as his probing fingers found the wound. It was two fingers in width and was bleeding badly.

The bot prepared to fire again and looking into its faceplate, Roy noticed a bloody red light flickering behind it.

The Atlesians must be malfunctioning, he thought, Why else would they kill the guard as well?

An angry buzz filled his ears, "I will not be killed by you!"' he roared, dragging himself to his feet.

Switching his hold on the plasma bayonet, he charged forward. He dodged the bot's second shot, adrenaline keeping him from feeling the pain of his wound.

He stabbed downward towards the bot's head: time seeming to slow as the bayonet descended towards the white metal dome.

The Atlesian knight stepped sideways, causing the killing blow to shear through some hydraulics on its shoulder. It's right arm flopped down, the gun's aim shifting downward towards the floor.

The bayonet stuck in the bot's shoulder so Roy sent his fist smashing into the bot's face. It felt like he'd broken his hand. In retaliation, the bot sent its undamaged hand thudding into Roy's side and he felt one of his ribs break. The force of the blow was enough to dislodge the bayonet from its shoulder and send him staggering backwards to near where he'd charged from.

The Atlesian knight tried to draw a bead on Roy, but with it's arm hydraulics severed, it couldn't keep its gun level.

The gun fired and the bullet struck the duffle bag sitting where he had dropped it.

A sizzling sound was the only warning he had before the bag exploded.

A wave of heat washed over him and something smashed into the left side of his face. The force of the blast threw him backward and he smashed into a rack of shelves. His limp body dropped to the floor and collapsed in a heap.

Writhing on the ground, Roy clutched at his left eye. Blood was pouring from three ragged gashes carved into the flesh of his face. The pain was excruciating and a cry of pain and fear tore itself from his throat.

The sound of rapid footsteps cut through the fog of pain and Roy looked up.

The one eye he could see out of found the remains of the mechanical soldier which had been destroyed in the blast, then a pair of leather boots. Hope flared in his chest like a flame as he looked up to see Ronin standing in front of him looking scared and horrified.

The explosion had ignited several of the crates around them and the fire was rapidly spreading through the entire warehouse, the flames casting his friends face into sharp relief.

"Ro...nin" Roy gasped out, spitting as some of his blood trickled into his mouth."Ple...ase." He reached a bloody hand out pleadingly towards his friend.

Ronin gave Roy one pitying glance then turned and ran.

As Ronin's footsteps receded into the distance, despair like Roy had never known crashed over him. His best friend had just left him to die alone in the blood and fire.

The despair quickly turned to rage, I will not die here, he thought, I will get out of here, I will survive!"

Roy began painfully dragging himself toward the end of the aisle. Every inch was agony, every foot made his side feel like it was ripping farther open. The fire lit metallic walls of the warehouse with a flickering orange glow and the smoke made his eye burn.

His strength gave out as he reached the end and he stopped crawling and lay still. The blood from his facial wounds was dripping down his face and into his mouth, the metallic taste making him gag and retch. Exhaustion was causing his vision to swim and darken,

This is it, he thought, This is how I die.

As he lay there, in the fire and the blood, his thoughts turned to Ebony,

I wish I could have told her how I felt, just say exactly what was on my mind. He thought.

His vision started to fade, but an odd red glow cut through haze allowing him to drag himself back from the brink and focus on the glow.

It was an exit sign.

Hope flared inside Roy's battered form once more and he resumed crawling toward the exit.

As he reached the door, Roy realized he would have to stand, the mere thought of the action made his stomach turn but it had to be done. Grabbing a nearby shelf, he started to painfully hoist himself up.

His hand was covered in blood and it slipped, sending him crashing heavily back to the floor.

He landed on his injured side, a strangled yell forced itself out of his mouth along with a gout of blood.

Reaching up he grasped the shelf again and this time was able to hoisted himself up, his head swam violently and and he fell into the door pushing it open in the process.

He lay still for a moment, the feeling of the cold night air on his faunus ears causing him to sob in relief. Slowly, he dragged himself back onto his feet and staggered away into the buildings surrounding the warehouse.

The countless dust crates inside the warehouse finally ignited, exploding with the force of a bomb. Another wave of hot air smashed into him and sent him pitching forward.

Time seemed to shift into slow motion, as he fell into an alley. He felt his body impact a wall, His vision going black as all sense of time and space were lost to him.

 **Woof, Like...big Woof. This chapter, was literally why I wrote my story in the first place. I'd been drawing my character (Roy) and I gave him an eyepatch. "What's the story behind that missing eye?" I thought, so I sat down, brainstormed and wrote the first few pieces of what would become Tales of Remnant. that was five years ago now, I'm so honored that I get to share my story with you, We just hit 1200 total views! can you believe it!?**

 **Until next we meet!**


	26. Chapter 25: Halfway Dark

Sierra Summerfell was grumpy.

First, she'd gotten up very early that morning to get to work on time. It was her first day as a Schnee Dust Company receptionist. The flight hadn't been as pleasant as she'd hoped as the pilot wasn't her regular. So she spent the ride in stony silence.

Next, she'd gotten to work only to be told that she would be heading down to Mantle to assist her section chief at the sight of last night's warehouse fire. Going to mantle was considered unsavory in Atlas, so her coworkers had volunteered the newbie to go.

As she stepped off the airship, the acrid smell of smoke assaulted her nose and she coughed.

"Ah Sally, you're here," she looked over to find her section manager, A tall thin with slicked back hair and a tailored suit, walking toward her. "Yes sir, an my name is Sierra."

The man gestured dismissively, "Whatever, I'm going back to the office, you stay here and get all the details from the authorities. I want a two page report on the losses by the end of the week."

Sierra blinked in surprise, "Isn't that more of a secretary's job?" she asked. "Maybe, but our office doesn't have one, good luck!"

With that, her manager vanished into the airship and was gone.

Sierra sighed and walked as close to the warehouse as the police tape would allow. The building was a total loss, smoke still drifting into the morning air.

Sierra's stomach lurched as she saw what was in front of her a short distance from the wreckage. 13 bodies lay side by side on the pavement, mercifully covered by sheets.

Averting her gaze, Sierra decided to take a walk, away from the scene. At the rate they were going, she doubted the authorities would have anything conclusive for the next half hour or so.

As she walked by a neighboring alley, a flash of red caught her attention. Upon further investigation, she realized it was a blood stain. More blood stains led into the alley and, against her better judgement, she followed them.

As she stepped around a particularly large dumpster, Her heart skipped a beat and she let out a small scream.

There, sitting up against the wall, was a boy. He was about 15 years of age, with a short build and tousled black hair. His hand clutched his side and blood steadily dripped from his face.

Kneeling down next to the boy, Sierra checked his pulse. Feeling a weak throbbing that signified that he was still alive, she investigated the wound in his side. It appeared to be a puncture wound three fingers wide, she wasn't sure how deep it went but she knew one way to find out. She leaned him forward and checked for an exit wound. She found one, which confirmed that the object had passed all the way through.

Gently leaning him back against the wall, she checked his face next. She removed his hood first and paused as she found two large cat ears protruding from his head.

Sierra carefully extended a finger and brushed the tip of one. It twitched and she snatched her hand back.

Come on Sierra, focus!

Sierra gentle placed her hand under his chin and tilted his face up to look at her. Her stomach did a flip flop. Three large gashes carved a bloody passage through his left eye which was destroyed and sightless. Still clinging to his face was the remains of a white and red mask, the design of which she recognized as the mask of a White Fang member.

Sierra started to reach for her scroll, intent on calling the authorities but something stopped her. She slid the broken mask off of his face and studied his face intently.

Looking back at her from behind the blood was a boy, a pretty good looking boy at that. Frozen on the boy's face was an expression of sad composure, as if he had fallen unconscious thinking he wouldn't wake up.

Sierra's heart panged at this resignation. Right then and there she swore she wouldn't let him die, but she couldn't let the authorities find him.

Grabbing him under his arms she started slowly dragging him down the alley, it wasn't that far and would have been far more difficult if he hadn't been lighter than she'd thought.

"Good thing you're short." she whispered to him.

When she reached the street, she quickly called for an airship. As it landed, the doors hissed open to reveal the face of her regular driver.

"Why, hello Miss Summerfell," he greeted. His eyes narrowed as she saw what she was half carrying, half dragging into the back of his ship.

"Hello Sam," Sierra replied distractedly, "I'm taking this boy to my house, I trust you know where that is."

Sam nodded, "That I do, uh… should I be worried about you?"

Sierra wiped her hands on her coat, which she had wrapped around the boy to minimize the blood spilled inside the airshop, "No, no, I'm fine. But...you might want to keep this on the DL."

Sam nodded, "I can do that, as long as you know what you're doing."

Sierra gently brushed the boy's bloody hair out of his face, "I do know what I'm doing, I'm saving his life."

:

The first thing to pierce the fog of unconsciousness was an unexpected warmth.

Roy came around lying in a strange bed in a room he'd never seen before. The pale gray walls were plastered with different posters of various types, ranging from movies to musical groups from round Atlas and Vale. A soft light was shining from his right, whether it was from a window or lamp, he couldn't tell.

He turned his head to look and a line of pain shot along his right side. Gritting his teeth Roy used his left hand to investigate the source of the pain; an area just below his ribcage. He felt bandages and a stab of pain made him wince as he found the wound with his searching fingers.

Roy suddenly realized he couldn't see out of his left the left side of his face he found it swathed in bandages. Sitting up, he began trying to remove the bandages so he could see.

Pain ripped through his right side and, unable to keep it in anymore, Roy let out a cry of agony.

He heard running footsteps and a moment later a young woman appeared in the doorway. She was about 20 years old, with blue-green eyes and reddish brown hair drawn up into a short ponytail. She was wearing a long sleeve gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and black sweatpants.

She took in the scene at a glance and raced forward, pressing Roy back down into bed. "Lay down! You are nowhere near ready to get out of bed yet!"

Roy struggled to get up again, but a bolt of pain made him cry out again.

"There! You happy?" the girl snapped.

"How long have I been here?" Roy asked.

"Three days." She answered.

He redoubled his efforts to get up, "I need to go-."

Another wave of pain smashed into him and he let out another harsh cry, the pain subsided but his energy waned along with it.

He sank back onto the pillows utterly exhausted. The young woman sat by his bed and wiped his forehead with a damp cloth. She was sitting on his right and, because of the bandages, Roy had to turn his head all the way to the right to look at her.

"How did I get here?" he asked.

"I found you in an alley in Mantle." she replied, "I couldn't leave you there, you were half dead from blood loss. Sorry if your backside is sore, I had to basically drag you here."

Roy didn't want to ask the next question, but he need to know, "How bad are my injuries?"

She pointed to his side, "Two inch wide puncture wound, as well as a broken rib. The wound went all the way through but missed everything vital." Next, she pointed to his bandage wrapped hand, "Several broken fingers, as well as quite a few lacerations on the knuckles." Finally, she gently placed her hand on his right cheek, "Three deep cuts, each about an inch in depth…" She paused and took a deep breath, "whatever cut you also caused irreparable damage to your right eye, leaving you sightless on that side."

Roy went numb in disbelief, the girl continued talking but her words fell on deaf ears. The urge to vomit started to overpower him. "I think I'm going to be sick."

The girl leapt forward and grabbed a small empty trash can and placed it front of Roy. His body was wracked with dry heaves, his stomach empty having not eaten in days.

He felt the girl's hand on his back, a comforting gesture that failed to make him feel any better. The heaving stopped and he slumped back onto the pillows. Tears gathered at the corner of his remaining eye and he quickly used the back of his hand to roughly wipe them away.

"Can I have some time alone?" he asked in a shaking voice that threatened to betray how close to completely breaking down he was.

He heard the girl say, "Of course," her footsteps retreated toward the door then paused, "I'm Sierra, in case you wanted to know."

The door closed and the sound of her footsteps grew fainter as she walked away.

Finally alone Roy allowed the full weight of his position crash down on him. He was injured, half blind and alone in a strange place, he'd been deserted by his best friend and left to die in that warehouse.

His emotions finally got the best of him, tears spilled down his cheeks and onto the blanket covering him. It hurt to cry, but he couldn't keep it in any longer. After awhile, he fell into a fitful sleep.

 **And now we learn how Roy and Sierra met. Personally I would've wanted to leave a better first impression XD. Ahem, bad time.  
I'm so grateful to all of my followers. reviewers and all you other readers that have wandered in here, perhaps by accident. if you've stuck with the tale this far, don't worry, there are a lot more chapters coming and another book on the way!**

 **Until next we meet!**


	27. Chapter 26: Night Terrors

Roy was back in the warehouse, he was watching his friends get mowed down one by one again. The stench of blood was everywhere and the dying screams of his comrades echoed through the warehouse.

Roy saw Simon standing with his back to him and ran toward him.

"Simon!" he yelled, "We have to get out of here!"

Simon turned and Roy recoiled.

The left side of Simon's face was gone, a dripping bloody mess had replaced it. A large gaping hole in his head allowed Roy to see the Atlesian Knight standing behind him.

Simon's jaw fell open, one half hanging off, the teeth far sharper than they should have been. Words, broken and mangled drifted from the gaping maw, "You were too late...Roy…."

Simon suddenly leapt at Roy, arm outstretched. He knocked Roy over and pinned him to the ground. The sounds coming out of Simon's mouth could no longer be described as words; it sounded more like an animalistic shrieking.

"Simon! Please!" Roy begged, fighting furiously, "I couldn't..."

"YOU DIDN'T!" Simon shrieked and lunged at Roy's throat mouth open, teeth glistening.

"Kid...kid, KID! Wake up, you're having a nightmare!" Sierra yelled.

Roy started awake and sat bolt upright. A wave of pain erupted from his side and he yelled. He clapped his hand to it and felt sickening wetness. Bringing his hand away he saw blood.

Sierra immediately began unwrapping the bandages from his side "I think you popped your stitches" she said quietly.

Roy was still breathing hard and was drenched in sweat.

"What were you dreaming about? I came to check on you I found you convulsing, the way you were screaming…" She stopped and drew a shaky breath. "I had to hold you down to keep you from hurting yourself." she finished quietly.

Roy said nothing but a tear slid its way down his cheek, Sierra noticed and gently wiped it away.

"You've been through hell haven't you," she said softly, Roy nodded silently.

Sierra turned the light on and went to fetch her needle and thread.

"I'm going to have to redo your stitches." She said and Roy nodded again.

He almost didn't feel the needle going in and out, rejoining his torn flesh. He just kept seeing Simon's destroyed face over and over. He tried to replace the image with images of Simon he remembered from when he was little, but in every memory of Simon his face was the same mangled mess it had been in his nightmare.

More tears slid slowly down Roy's cheek. Sierra finished up the re-bandaging and looked into Roy's face. This time instead of leaving she sat next to him on the bed and embraced him.

"Shh, you're safe now," she said softly, "I've got you."

Roy completely broke down in her arms and sobbed like a child. This time, the tears were for the friends he'd lost and for Simon.

He finally found an untainted memory. He'd been 8 years old when Simon had turned to him,

"Roy, this world is wrong." He'd said, "Faunus are treated like second class citizens and, in some cases, less than human. But I have this dream...I dream of a day where Faunus and humans walk together as equals everywhere. A world where all faunus have the same standing, same opportunities and same rights as humans."

Simon had stared ahead, almost as if he could see a vision of this new world, "I am willing to do anything to make that a reality, are you?" he'd asked turning to Roy.

The young faunus had nodded vigorously, causing Simon to laugh and ruffle his ears "I knew I could count on you."

The memory of he and Simon sitting on the front porch, the warm summer sun shining down on them allowed him to bring his emotions back under control.

He forced the tears to stop and straightened his back.

"I'm…" he started "sorry I woke you"

Sierra let go and got up from the bed. "If you need anything don't hesitate to call" she said.

Roy nodded and gingerly laid back down. The girl started to leave,

"My n-name…is R-Roy" He stammered out and the girl paused, looking back at him.

She gave him a gentle smile, "Nice to meet you."

With that she quietly shut the door behind her.

Roy had trouble getting back to sleep, the memory was good for calming him down but he needed something more to get to sleep. He remembered Simon's dream again,

" _A place where humans and faunus walk together as equals everywhere."_

 _Simon,_

Roy thought _you lost sight of your dream. Now that you're gone, Someone has to carry it forward._ He reached his hand up and gingerly felt the bandages around his ruined eye. _This is a setback, but it will not be the end of me_ He thought. _I will get back up to fight another day._

 **Sorry about this short chapter, There maybe a slight delay from me now as my editor has been busy closing on a new house, but don't go anywhere, Tales of Remnant will be right back after these messages.**

 **Until next we meet!**

 **-Ar3mRising**


	28. Chapter 27: Broadcasts and Breakfast

Roy awoke early the next morning and scrubbed the sleep from his eye.

He slowly rose to a sitting position, the resulting surge of pain making his head spin. He waited for it to settle back into a dull ache before he attempted to stand up.

He felt every muscle scream in protest as he tried to straightened up, and he let out a groan.

Twice, he fell back onto the bed, waited for the pain to subside then tried again. Finally, on the third try, he succeeded in standing up, A sudden wave of vertigo struck him and he almost pitched forward. Thankfully, he regained his balance.

Pulling the top blanket off the bed, he wrapped it around himself to provide some warmth and limped slowly out of his room and down the hall.

He paused at the end of the hall as he reached the flight of stairs that led to the first floor. Said stairs proved to be a challenge to get down; each step down sending a jolt of pain shooting through him.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he turned right and entered a room with a TV. Sinking onto the couch in front of it, he switched the TV on and flipped to the news channel and was greeted by the White Fang logo emblazoned across the screen.

The voice of Lisa Lavender, the attractive news anchor, penetrated the thick veil of exhaustion and he began listening to the report,

 _"Three days ago we brought you the story of an attempted robbery and fire at Schnee warehouse 13, today we received both the number of casualties and statements from the parties involved."_

The screen cut to a video feed from what looked like Atlas military headquarters. Standing behind the podium was a tall man. He had sharp eyes and black hair with streaks of white in it at the temples. His white officers uniform contrasted his hair nicely, the name across the bottom of the screen read "Gen. James Ironwood."

He started to speak, his deep bass voice immediately commanding Roy's attention, "What happened at schnee warehouse 13 was an example of Atlas tech working as it should, the White Fang stepped onto our turf and we repelled them. Unfortunately it cost us the warehouse."

Roy's blood boiled and he bolted up from the couch, a gigantic wave of pain slammed into him and he nearly yelled in pain. Biting back the yell, he sank back onto the couch cushions.

Next to appear on the screen was an executive White Fang member named Adam Taurus. He had blood red hair and wore a mask with Red markings over his eyes. Two black horns poked up through his hair, shining in the sunlight.

"Atlas and the Schnee Dust Company will pay dearly for the massacre of our brethren." He proclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hand. "Each faunus who died was worth twice as much than any human life!"

The screen flashed back to Lisa, "The death total stands at 1 atlas soldier and 12 White Fang members killed, among the dead was Atlas resident Simon Lupis, a local Atlas resident who…"

Roy switched off the TV. He heard a pounding in his ears, his heart beating out the angry words running through his head "Such a loss of life, and all Altas cares about is the Godsdamned WAREHOUSE?!"

A loud thump sound from above, causing him to jump up: adrenaline helping him ignore the surge of pain. After the thumping came a pounding as of running feet, followed by the sound of someone rapidly descending the stairs.

Next thing Roy knew, he was being spun around quickly but gently, "What the **hell** are you doing out of bed?!" Sierra snapped in his face.

She was wearing a grungy T-shirt and knee length black leggings. Speaking of her knees, her left one was turning an ugly shade of yellowy blue.

Roy put two and two together and realized what happened. He must have unwittingly yelled out the last word, which in turn had startled Sierra awake, who in her hurry to rush downstairs had fallen out of bed and bashed her knee.

"Sorry" he mumbled.

Sierra released her grip on his arm and brushed her hair out of her face. "You won't get better walking around before you should. please," She held her hand out, "get back to bed."

Roy nodded, all of the anger based adrenaline keeping him upright vanished and he pitched forward, surprising Sierra.

She caught him, but was forced to drop down on one knee, Roy heard her curse under her breath; she had landed on her bad knee.

"Sorry." he said again.

Sierra only grunted as she hefted the majority of his weight onto her shoulders and half carried him upstairs.

As they neared the top of the stairs, Sierra stubbed her toe on a step and let out an audible grunt of pain,

"Sor-" he began to say again, but Sierra cut him off

"If you apologize one more time, I will throw you down the stairs!" she gritted through teeth clenched with exertion and pain.

Roy wisely stayed silent as she helped him back into bed and checked his bandages.

"Now," she said, hands on hips, "Do I need to tie you down?"

Roy shook his head and she let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll go make breakfast"

She left shutting the door behind her. Without Sierra's company to distract him, thoughts of the TV report resurfaced and Roy's temper once again began to fester.

Sierra returned to the room, bearing a breakfast consisting of Jelly toast with a side of scrambled eggs. Roy thanked her, but barely touched the food. His appetite stolen by pain and anger. Sierra had made herself a plate of the same and had brought it up along with Roy's breakfast.

"So," she began "I know you told me your name, But, I'm awful with names...so."

Roy took the hint, "Shiroi Arashi." he said.

Sierra tilted her head quizzically, "That's a bit of a mouthful, sounds Mistrali."

Roy nodded, "My mother was born in Mistral. You can call me Roy if you want."

Sierra grinned, "Oh I like that." she said. Roy managed a small, weak smile in return.

Sierra looked at him in a calculating manner, "Roy?" she asked tentatively, "Were you injured in the attack on that Schnee warehouse?"

Roy avoided her gaze and fiddled with a loose thread in the comforter, "If I say yes will you turn me in?"

Sierra snorted "no"

Roy hesitated then slowly nodded.

Sierra was quiet for a moment then sighed "You are a member of the White Fang then"

Roy nodded again.

"what happened?" she asked.

Roy snorted, "Why don't you watch the news, they seem to know everything."

Sierra sighed. "I feel like someone who was there would know the whole story."

Roy sighed and looked out of the window, towards the patch of woods where he'd stumbled from several days earlier. "We broke into the warehouse, to steal dust and weapons..."

Sierra cut him off, "For a peaceful protest group you certainly seem eager to arm yourself."

Roy huffed and finally looked her in the eye, "It was insurance." He said stiffly.

Sierra scoffed, "In case of what? Humans attacking you?"

"Yes!" Roy snapped.

Sierra rubbed her eyes in an exasperated manner, "Don't you know in the quest for equality each side has to learn to trust the other"

Roy tried to sit up, "Tell that to your government!"

The pain from his wounds caused him to fall back with a groan. Sierra pressed him back down, "You can't deny that the White Fang has been making some very odd strides these days, they've been hijacking trains, stealing weapons and kidnapping people-"

"What?" Roy interrupted, "No they haven't! That's a lie told by the Atlas military to villainize us!"

Sierra put her hand up and said "I digress, please continue"

Roy settled back warily and continued his narrative. "We accidentally activated some Atlesian Knights. But...they must have been glitching, with no provocation besides the fact that we were there they started gunning us down."

he closed his eyes and covered his ears, as if to block out the screams of his comrades. "I ran and hit a dead end. One of them followed me and shot a bag full of dust crystals, it exploded and…"

Roy couldn't continue. He remembered the wave of heat and the awful feeling of the dust shards smashing into his face. He shivered and closed his eyes again.

"No need to continue, I can guess the rest" he heard Sierra say, "I think it would be best if we agree to disagree about the White Fang issue, we should just concentrate on getting you up on your feet."

Roy nodded, he saw no reason to argue with Sierra over the White Fang. but still in the back of his mind was a nagging doubt. " _We were told that most humans were uncaring, proud people and that Atlesians were the worst, but here I am seeing a kind, caring individual who has taken in someone they don't know and cared for them"_

Roy shook his head to clear it and asked Sierra "How long until I can get up?"

Sierra gave him a calculating look. "Depends," she said.

"On what?" Roy inquired.

"On how much pain you can endure and how fast your body heals"

Roy raised an eyebrow, "How much pain I can endure?"

Sierra nodded, "The broken rib alone will take weeks to heal. On top of that you have all your other wounds to worry about. Although I should mention your Aura has activated since you've been here so that should speed healing up by the smallest margin."

Roy laid his head back onto the pillow, "So, about three months?"

Sierra shrugged. "Maybe, if you're lucky."

Roy clenched his fist, "I'll do what I have to,"

Sierra grinned slightly. "I think you will."

:

The road to recovery is not easy.

Roy kept saying this to himself over and over during the first two months. Every day would bring new struggles to get through.

He had the nightmare again, multiple times over those two months. It was different every time and Simon was replaced first by Ronin, then Ebony and finally his mother.

He tried to ignore it, but the number of times it caused him to start awake, drenched in sweat and breathing hard was to high to count. He came to accept the nightmares as part of his nightly routine, even though didn't make each one hurt any less.

During the first month, his time was primarily spent regaining his mobility and learning to live with only half of his vision. It was during this time that Roy gained a heightened appreciation for his faunus heritage. His faunus ears helped him compensate for the new, massive blind spot on the right side of his head. |

The second month was spent regaining his former strength and stamina.

It was currently the end of the second month and Roy was growing restless. He had to go back to White Fang, he had too! But, he didn't want to tell Sierra what he was planning.

He knew she wouldn't approve and might even call the authorities. With this in mind, he planned to leave a note, explaining his intentions and thanking her for her hospitality, then sneak out late one night to rejoin his comrades.

It was a warm spring night when he finally put his plan into action. Laying awake until 1 AM, then slowly getting out of bed, walking out of is room and down the hall.

A small mirror hung in the hallway and as he walked by, his reflection, visible in the faint moon light spilling through a nearby window, startled him slightly. He stopped and pondered the sight.

His eye had a dark circle under it, a result of his lack of sleep. The bandages were still wrapped around his head and he decided that now was the time to survey the damage. He reached up and carefully unwrapped the bandages.

They fell away revealing his eye, or at least what used to be his eye. The lid was scabbed over, still healing and running through his eye from the middle of his forehead to mid cheek where three scars. The middle one was longer than its two fellows. All three scars glinted with a ghostly blue light, caused by chips of dust still lodged in the wounds.

He shivered, the sight unnerving him. He covered the eye up with a red cloth and quickly snuck away. Continuing down the hall, he made to the stairs and descended to the second floor.

Walking to the kitchen he took the note out of his pocket and laid it on the counter. He quietly stole to the door, opened it and walked away from the house into the cool night air.

 **And we're back in business! Got some more chapters back from the editor! Enjoy!**

 **Until next we meet!**


	29. Chapter 28: What We Have Become

After leaving Sierra's house, Roy caught an airship down to mantle and found the nearest White Fang hideout.

At the moment, Roy was lying shirtless on his cot, reading a news report on a scroll he had borrowed. The headline was a report on several Schnee company executives going missing, the article strongly suggested that the White Fang had something to do with it, if not directly responsible for the disappearances.

Roy snorted, "Ridiculous" he thought, the notion that the White Fang would stoop so low as to abduct people was enough to make him smile and shake his head.

Suddenly, a bell sounded through the building. The bell was the signal to assemble at the briefing room to receive orders and go out on assignments.

Roy got up carefully, his wounds hadn't quite healed completely yet and his broken rib was still sore. Reaching over, he grabbed his new white fang uniform. Slipping it on, Roy half trotted, half limped to the large room at the end of the hall for the assignment briefing.

He arrived to find his new comrades gathered around a large dust crate, standing on the crate was the leader of the local branch: Lennox. He was a racoon faunus, with a large ringed tail and dark shadows around his blue eyes.

"Listen up people!" Lennox barked, capturing everyone's attention. "The target of tonight's raid is this guy!"

Lennox held up a picture of a man. He looked to be in his 40s he had short white hair and gray eyes.

"This guy," Lennox continued "Is a Schnee company executive, we are going to have a word with him about his affiliations with Schnee and Ironwood."

Roy grinned to himself, "having a word with someone" was a tongue in cheek way of talking about what the White Fang called a "Rough and Rob"

The White Fang would normally rob an exec's house while it was empty, but sometimes to send a louder message, they would break in while the house was occupied.

The meeting over, Roy headed back to his room to grab his gear.

He opened the door, stepped inside and went over to his cot. Bending down, he reached under the small canvas and wood bed, pulling out a long object wrapped in a cloth. Sitting down on the bed, he unwrapped the object and held it up.

It was the plasma blade he'd taken from the warehouse. Somehow, he'd kept a death grip on the weapon as he'd fled the warehouse. During his recovery, he'd cleaned the blood from the handle, resharpened the blade and restored it back to its former glory.

The blade was 6" in length and black in color. The handle was rounded and wrapped in blue cord which was interrupted by an activation button. When activated, the blade was surrounded by a border of red plasma hot enough to cut through most materials.

He'd fashioned a leather arm sheath for it and slipped it on, adjusting the straps until it was bound tightly to his left forearm. Slipping the knife into the sheath, he rotated his hand and arm to see if the sheath impeded his movement at all. Satisfied that he could move adequately, he raised his hood, put on his mask and reported outside to the transport.

The trip to the executive's house took about 15 minutes and by the time they landed Roy's legs had started to fall asleep. As he stepped out of the transport, he breathed a sigh of relief as the tingling in his feet subsided.

Looking towards the mansion, he took in the sight of the tall three story house, with large swooping gables and a blue shingled roof that offset the white siding nicely.

He turned to the squad leader Garrett. "What's the game plan?" Roy asked in a whisper.

Garrett turned and gave him a look of disdain, "Is that all this is to you, a game? Gods, you new guys make me sick." he snapped.

Turning swiftly away from Roy, he stalked away.

"As for the "game plan"…" he scoffed over his shoulder, "You'll find out with the rest of your group"

Roy's "group" as it turned out was in charge of moving the stolen goods out of the house and into the transport, meaning that Roy wasn't actually a part of the initial entry. He simply sat and waited until Garrett signaled his group to come forward.

"Get in there and pack up the office," Garrett growled at the group of faunas, "Grab as many files and dossiers as you can. The Atlas security forces will be here in 4 minutes, you have 2. Go!"

Roy bolted into the house, through the foyer and took the second left into a grandly furnished office. Embers glowed faintly in a small fireplace, above which was a large portrait of the executive and his family.

A large desk took up the center of the room, and was covered in files and other pieces of stationary. a wooden name plate sat front and center with the name "Matsudo Shino" embossed on it.

Running over to the desk he pulled open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a box. Once it was full, he picked the box up and turned to one of his comrades,

"I'll take this out to the transport," He said. All he got was a grunt in return.

Shrugging, he exited the office, turned left and entered a hallway that lead down to the backdoor.

Exiting out into the backyard he started jogging toward the transport.

A terrified cry stopped him dead in his tracks.

Turning to look into the yard, he saw several White Fang savagely beating the executive. His wife and two daughters were forced to sit and watch as their loved one was beaten. The wife suddenly sprang up and tried to stop one of the faunus who'd just dealt her husband a savage kick.

The faunus turned and, without hesitating, backhanded her across the face, Roy heard the smack from where he was standing.

Something inside him snapped and he dropped the file box he was carrying. Sprinting forward, he grabbed the Faunus by the shoulder, "Hey! That's ENOUGH!"

The large faunus growled and shoved him away. Roy stepped forward and suddenly he was standing between the two Faunus and the rest of the target's family.

The second of the faunus stepped forward. "Move it pipsqueak! We want to have some fun!"

Roy drew the plasma blade and activated it. "Over my dead body!" he stated cooly.

The plasma blade buzzed and hissed in his hand as he struck a ready stance. The two Faunas shot each other amused looks, one was a bull faunus, very hefty with a scar along his chin. The other was a Lemur Faunus with a large tail. They were both taller and broader than the younger cat faunas. He would be no challenge.

The Lemur grinned evilly and swung his foot into the executive's stomach once more, causing the man to cough and wheeze roughly.

"Stop!" Roy exclaimed, pointing the hissing bayonet steadily at the faunas.

The Lemur raised his hands, "What? He's just a human."

Suddenly, he lunged forward, swinging a massive left hook, Roy swayed backwards slightly, letting the fist pass by harmlessly. The Lemur over swung, leaving his face exposed and Roy shoved his weaponless hand forward in a palm strike that connected with the Lemur's nose. There was an audible crack as the Lemur's nose broke. He let out a muffled cry of pain and retreated, clutching his nose. The bull waited until the Lemur recovered then they both charged him. Roy dove between the two foes, attempting to roll back to his feet behind them. His side twinged painfully and he fumbled the roll, not making it nearly as far as he wanted.

He felt the bull grab his leg and swing him around. He smashed into the turf, the impact driving all the air from his body.

The Lemur pounced on top of him, "You little shit!" he snarled, "You're going to pay for breaking my nose!"

Roy coughed and gasped trying to get air back into his lungs. "I'd say it's an improvement" he gritted out.

He slashed the plasma blade across the Lemur's chest. The faunus howled and fell back, his hands flying to the wound. The bull swung his fist down, trying to smash Roy's head. He rolled backward just in time, finding his feet once more. Running forward, Roy threw a high kick into the bull's face and knocked him sideways to the ground. He wrapped his arm around the bull's neck, putting him in a headlock. Gritting his teeth, Roy raised the plasma bayonet.

A shot rang out and Roy's shoulder erupted in pain, he yelled and dropped the bayonet. The bull broke out of the headlock and swung his elbow hard into Roy's partially healed rib. Roy heard a snap and his side was on suddenly fire. He slumped to the side, heart pounding in his ears.

"What the HELL is going on over here?" a voice yelled.

Garrett stalked over and stood above Roy, a gun held in his hand. The bull was helping the Lemur up and pointed at Roy "That little asshole was keeping us from having our fun!"

Garrett face palmed and walked over to the target. Hoisting him up, he shoved him toward the transport, "Our orders," he explained, "Were to kidnap the executive and his family, we were given permission to rough the executive up, but you weren't supposed to harm the women!"

Roy couldn't believe what he was hearing; the White Fang were responsible for the disappearances around Atlas.

Garrett put his hands on his hips, "Now. if you two neanderthals are finished being nearly beaten by a boy, grab the rest of the family and bring them to the transport"

The bull smirked and moved threateningly toward the mother and the two daughters. Roy dragged himself forward and grabbed the bull's pant leg, "No...I won't...let you…"

The bull looked surprised, "Do you want to die pipsqueak?"

Garrett stepped forward, "We don't like turncoats in the White Fang." he said in a dangerous tone of voice. He pressed his pistol to Roy's temple.

Roy squeezed his eye shut, expecting a bullet at any moment. Several agonizing seconds went by, then the cold barrel was withdrawn.

"But you have spirit, unfortunately you have no place in the White Fang if you don't have the guts to do what has to be done" Garrett turned away, "leave him...and them"

The bull started to protest, "But...our orders!"

"Orders can change, I thought it was dumb to bring the whole family anyway. If anyone asks, the cops showed up early." Garrett said dismissively.

The bull looked torn. then gritted out "yes sir."

Roy heard numerous footfalls as the White Fang filed into the transport. Then came the mechanical whine of the engines and the downdraft of the propellers as the transport lifted off. The whine faded into the night, leaving the air quiet and still. The only sound that could be heard was a quiet sobbing from the smallest Shino girl.

Roy coughed and winced, he was a bad way. His rib was broken again and he had a bullet lodged in his arm. He slammed his fist into the ground,

Sierra was right, he thought bitterly, The White Fang has...fallen so low.

A soft, gentle hand touched his uninjured shoulder. "Thank you for protecting us."

Looking up, he saw the executive's wife kneeling in front of him. Looking past her, Roy saw the older daughter hugging the smaller daughter who was hiding her face.

Roy's ears drooped with shame "I'm so sorry," he said bitterly, "This...isn't how it's supposed to be."

He looked into the face of the wife and was surprised by what he saw: a quiet, gentle compassion. What had he been expecting to see?

Anger?...Resentment?

But no. This woman who had just seen her husband taken away by faunus was thanking him.

The woman cupped his chin tenderly in her hand, "How old are you?" she asked,

"15" Roy replied. The sadness became more pronounced on the woman's face, "So young and yet you've already been scarred in so many ways."

She turned and called to the older daughter, "Sasha! help me get him to his feet."

The older daughter got up and ran to help her mother hoist Roy to his feet. His side lanced with pain and he cried out. They paused but he gently removed their hands and stood on his own volition.

The younger daughter who'd been hiding behind her older sister came forward slowly. She had steel grey eyes and dirty blonde hair, there were tears in her steel blue eyes and she was trembling.

Roy sank down to one knee in front of her and looked her in the eyes. The girl reached out a trembling hand to touch his cat ears. Roy shied away from her hand and slowly stood. "I'm so...sorry." he repeated, his voice breaking as his throat constricted. Turning away, he slowly staggered away into the surround darkness.

 **Wow. I see how it is...Don't you guys hate getting shot in the arm? me too.**

 **So...anyways, A Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Quanza. Etc. I love all of you and thank you for your continued support. We just broke 1500 views!**

 **I will be taking a short break from posting chapters, I'm going to take a moment to gather my thoughts and enjoy my christmas. I will be back sometime around new years. Do not worry, I have no intention of disappearing, my story is finished and I just have to post it. I hope you guys will stick around!**

 **Until next we meet!**

 **-Ar3mRising**


	30. Chapter 29: Return to Safety

Roy staggered slowly down Sierra's street. His arm was still bleeding and his rib sent pain lancing through his side with every step. A light rain had started to fall, the wet concrete of the street glistening in the street lights.

Roy finally reached Sierra's house and staggered up the steps and knocked, smearing the blue wood of the door with his blood. Stepping shakily back down the steps, he waited.

A few seconds later, Roy heard the sound of frantic feet from inside and the door was suddenly wrenched open.

There stood Sierra, pajama and slipper clad, looking both angry and relieved.

"YOU!" she shrieked, thought better of it and continued, "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting up for you?!"

Roy gave it some thought; He'd left five days ago.

"Awhile?" he said tentatively.

"A WHI-!"

Sierra practically lost the ability to speak she was so livid. She stalked down the steps and raised her hand as if to slap him. Roy winced instinctively but Sierra just stood there with her hand floating in the air.

Finally, she stepped forward and pulled Roy into a bear hug.

"I was so worried about you! I was thinking this whole time you were going to wind up dead this time" she said, burying her face in his shoulder.

Roy cried out as his wounds all screamed in protest, Sierra gasped and released him,

"What?! What's wrong?" she asked urgently. Her eyes widened as she finally noticed Roy's blood, now covering her pajamas in a dark red stain.

Roy slowly slumped into a sitting position, a combination of blood loss from his arm and the pain from his side after Sierra's hug finally dragging him down.

"I re-broke my rib and I've been shot in the arm." he stated dully.

Sierra gasped "Oh Roy I'm so sorry, I didn't know!"

She grabbed his uninjured arm and gently pulled him to his feet, "Lean on me," she instructed as she led him inside. "How much blood have you lost?"

"I don't know," Roy said sleepily, "it's been bleeding non stop."

Sierra shot a glance at his face; it had grown very pale and Roy's eyelids were threatening to fall shut.

"This is very important Roy, you can't fall asleep." She said urgently.

"Why…?" he murmured.

"If you do, I may not be able to wake you up again"

As Sierra said this, Roy became aware of how drowsy he was feeling. As they walked through the door and made their way down the hall, Roy's eyes almost fell closed several times and Sierra, as if sensing this, moved quickly into the kitchen.

Setting Roy into a chair, she rummaged frantically through a drawer until she had grabbed scissors, bandages, pliers and medical tape. Rushing back over to Roy's side, she used the scissors to cut the sleeve of Roy's uniform away.

She made a noise of panicked irritation, "Tch, of course the bullet would still be lodged in your arm." Leaning forward, she smacked Roy's face lightly "Hey! keep those eyes open, don't you go to sleep on me." Sierra ran her hand through her hair and blew a wisp of hair out of her face, "This is going to hurt a lot, I don't have any anesthetic and I need to sterilize the pliers"

Roy set his teeth, "Just do what you need to do." he growled.

Sierra shook her head in amazement, "How old are you again?" she asked.

Roy fought to stay awake, "What day is it today?"

Sierra was sterilizing the pliers with a candle, "It's the 3rd of the fifth month. Why?"

Roy gave a mirthless laugh, "I'm sixteen today."

Sierra quickly brought the pliers over, they were still glowing a dull orange from the sterilization process.

"Here" Sierra said, handing Roy a leather glove.

"What's this for?" Roy asked.

Sierra grimaced, "It's so you don't bite through your tongue"

Roy blinked "Happy Birthday to me I guess" he grumbled as he stuck the glove in his mouth and nodded to Sierra.

She gritted her teeth and shoved the pliers into the wound. Roy let out a strangled yell, nearly fainting from the pain.

"I'm sorry! It will be over soon!" Sierra yelled.

Her probing tool found the bullet, somehow she grabbed it and pulled. The bullet came free with an awful *shluck* noise and this time, Roy did lose consciousness.

Sierra dropped the bloody pliers on the counter, the bullet still clamped between the jaws. Rushing over to Roy, she shook him roughly, "Roy, wake up!"

She received no answer.

Panicking now, Sierra launched a fierce smack into Roy's face, "Wake the hell up DAMMIT!"

Roy's eyes snapped open. Spitting the glove out, he groaned, "AH that was so much worse than I thought it would be."

Sierra gave a sigh of relief, "I thought I lost you there."

Roy was still feeling drowsy and was still trying not to nod off. "When is it safe for me to go to sleep?" he asked.

Sierra harrumphed, "Unfortunately you've lost too much blood for me to treat you adequately. you were low on blood after your previous injuries but you're dangerously low now" She grabbed her bag, "We're gonna have to walk to the hospital."

Roy looked down at his blood splattered White Fang uniform, "I think I should change" he said.

Sierra nodded, "I was thinking the same thing."

She reached into the bag and tossed Roy a sweatshirt to replace his uniform. He shot it a sceptical look. The sweatshirt was grey, emblazoned on the chest was a kitten's face and the words. "I'm Cat-astrophic"

He gave Sierra a pleading look, "Do I have to wear this?"

Sierra snorted, "Yes, you do. It's the only one where I don't care if it gets blood on it."

Roy rolled his eyes slightly, "I'm not surprised." he grumbled.

Sierra cut the rest of the bloody uniform away, before helping him into the sweatshirt. Then, she half supported, half dragged him to the hospital. Once they arrived, he was whisked away to an intensive care room. Sierra fabricated a story about how he got hurt in a mining accident. It was a good story and they cared for him without question.

Soon, Roy's senses were a mess of dull pain and the smell of anesthetic. Upon learning of his broken rib, the doctor insisted on an x-ray to evaluate the damage. It was determined that the broken rib hadn't caused any internal hemorrhaging and, after tightly binding the broken bone, the medical staff turned their attention to his arm.

After cleaning and sealing the wound, they set him up with a bed and blood transfusion, explaining to Sierra that they would keep him overnight to monitor his condition.

She nodded and bid Roy a good night before returning home. He hated to see her go, feeling more alone than ever in the frighteningly sterile hospital.

Eventually, he fell into a fitful sleep and was awakened by Sierra bringing him breakfast the next morning. The meal was an modest affair, consisted of oatmeal with oatcakes and a side of orange juice.

Roy slowly took a spoon full of oatmeal. "So, I've been meaning to ask," He began, "Where did you learn your medical skills?"

Sierra grinned sheepishly, "I originally wanted to be a medic, but I couldn't afford to get all the way through a medical course so I took about two years then stopped and got a job at the Schnee Dust Company."

Roy set his spoon back in his bowl of oatmeal with a clink. "Do you still want to be a medic?" he asked.

Sierra thought about it, "Not really, believe it or not the Schnee company pays better than most hospitals."

Roy raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Sierra nodded, "When you have that much money to throw around it's not that hard. Oh! that reminds me, I have to get to work. Everyone's working overtime."

Roy raised an eyebrow, "why?"

Sierra frowned, "One of our board members was kidnapped last night."she said.

Roy's ears drooped "I see."

Sierra narrowed her eyes, "Was the White Fang responsible?" she asked.

Roy nodded, "I tried to stop them, this isn't how it's supposed to be."

Sierra's eyes widened, "you mean your own comrades shot you in the arm?"

Roy nodded again. "I was basically told that I didn't have a place in the White Fang anymore...and…" He paused and sighed heavily, "I think they're right, they're just...not who I thought they were anymore."

Sierra's eyes softened and she patted Roy's uninjured shoulder. "what are you going to do now?"she asked.

Roy looked down and fiddled with the hospital sheets, "I...don't know"

 **Funny thing is at one point, I didn't know what Roy was going to do next. I let the flashback section float around for awhile.**

 **What will Roy do next?**

 **All will be revealed,**

 **When next we meet.**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	31. Chapter 30: Best Laid Plans

The front door of Sierra's house opened to reveal the her supporting Roy as they stepped over the threshold and into the house. The hospital had released him with the usual prescription of aura enhancers and instructions to come back later in the month for a checkup.

He hadn't been released until late evening and the gentle bluish glow of twilight shone through the open door. Sierra released Roy and shut the door, taking off her coat in the process.

"You're a bit heavier than you were." She quipped.

Roy chuckled and sat with a wince on the bottom step of the stairs. "That's a good thing right?" he asked, smiling despite the throbbing in his ribs.

"Yes, it is a good thing." Sierra confirmed, stashing her coat on the nearby coat rack.

Roy winced as he shrugged out of the hoodie Sierra had given him, "I've been thinking about what to do next." he said, handing the hoodie back to Her.

Sierra hung it next to her coat on the rack by the door "Oh?"

Roy nodded, "The White Fang needs to be stopped,"

Sierra nodded slowly, "Uhuh and?"

Roy set his jaw, "Who better to stop them then a former member?"

Sierra raised an eyebrow, "What do you think one boy can do where an entire military has failed?"

Roy thought for a moment. "Easy, I know meeting places, I know the names of several high ranking members, the locations of several inner city bases...need I go on?"

Sierra rubbed her temples, "So are you going to compile a list and send it to the Atlas military?"

Roy shook his head, "More like I was going to go after them myself."

Sierra's brow furrowed, "Did you hit your head while you were gone?"

Now it was Roy's turn to rub his temples, "I'm dead serious Sierra, someone needs to do something in the main city, why not me?"

Sierra stood in front of him and bent down until they were practically nose to nose. "Allow me to explain something to you. If you want to be a vigilante," She used her fingers to make air quotes, "You are going to have to stay up very late most nights. You will have to endure bruises, broken bones and other such lovely wounds. Every night you will be hunted, not only by the White Fang but by the Atlas military as well." She stood back, her arms crossed. "If you're willing to put up with that then you're halfway to being a vigilante."

She stopped as if to gauge Roy's reaction to her words.

Roy sat silently for a moment then he stood, ignoring the pain in his side and arm, "I don't care, it needs to be done"

Sierra threw up her arms "WHY? You don't owe humans anything!"

Roy shook his head, "No, but I owe you and people like you everything. The way the White Fang is going they don't care who gets hurt in their quest for equality." Roy sat back down, "I can't stand the thought of innocent humans being hurt by faunus." he finished.

Sierra studied his face for several seconds. "Wow, you are serious." She said with a tone of awe.

"Yep." Roy confirmed.

"What are you going to do first?" She asked.

"Well, I can't fight crime with a hole in my arm now can I?" Roy said snarkily.

Sierra snorted, "No, no you can't. So I assume after you recover you're going to practice hand to hand combat and climbing buildings?"

Roy chuckled, "I don't think I'll have to, I've been climbing things since I was a toddler. As for hand to hand, my mother trained me in weaponless fighting since I could walk."

Sierra raised an eyebrow, "How could she train a toddler to fight?" she said incredulously.

"We had some pretty fierce pillow fights." Roy said with a smile.

The smile and the color slowly vanished from Roy's face, "Oh Dust." he whispered.

Sierra looked concerned, "What?" she asked.

Roy held his hand out, "I...I'm going to need your scroll"

Sierra held it to out him, "why?"

Roy clutched his face with his hand, "I didn't tell my mom I was still alive."

Sierra's eyes widened, "You haven't...YOU MORON! CALL HER RIGHT NOW!" she shouted, practically throwing her scroll at him.

Roy dialed furiously "Yes ma'am!"

He brought the scroll up to his ear and listened to the dial tone play.

"Hello" his mother's voice sounded in his ears "You've reached the Arashi residence, if you are wanting to contact me I am currently out of the disgusting country, don't leave a message, Ever."

Roy blinked and slowly handed the scroll back to Sierra.

"Well?" she asked,

"She...wasn't home." Roy said slowly.

Sierra scoffed "You have to try at least twice, here let me"

She dialed and held the scroll up to her ear. She listened to the message and stifled a laugh,

"Your mom is...Amazing" she said.

"Yeah I know" Roy said "I'll keep trying. But right now, I think I should concentrate on the mission."

Sierra placed her scroll back in her pocket, "Which is?" she asked.

Roy looked at his reflection in the mirror, "The complete shutdown of the White Fang in Atlas."

Sierra scruffed his hair "Quit being dramatic," she sighed.

Roy straightened his hair and pouted slightly "I was serious."

Sierra snorted, "I gathered that." she quipped, "I do have one question though,"

Roy turned to look at her, "Yes?"

"Why don't you attend one of the combat schools? You'll be much more prepared to take the White Fang on with a Huntsman's license."

Roy thought about this for a moment, "It would take to long," he said finally, "Something has to be done now."

Sierra nodded, "In that case, you should probably get something to mask your face."

Roy nodded, "yeah," he said, "I was just thinking the same thing."

Sierra stretched and yawned "well, Bedtime?" she asked.

"Bedtime" Roy agreed.

:

A few weeks later, Roy stood atop a five story building in downtown Mantle. The wind tickled his ears and ruffled his hair which at this point was getting quite long.

He wore a long black coat with red detailing and a hood. On his hands he wore black gloves with red palms. Sitting next to him was his helmet. It was black and and had two holes in the top to let his cat ears through. The mouth was a jagged grin that lit up when he talked, his voice masked by a voice modulator.

He'd been surprised by just how cheap it all had been to procure, costing just a little over seventy Lien. What had been a challenge was actually buying everything. To avoid suspicion, he and Sierra had traded off picking the items up, just to make absolutely sure that the purchases wouldn't be tracked back to one person.

He'd bought the original helmet, a piece of decommissioned Atlas military armor, from a surplus store downtown. Then, he'd taught himself how to solder. This had been a very challenging thing to accomplish and he'd burned himself on quite a few occasions as well as lighting Sierra's table on fire. But eventually, through much trial and error he'd successfully created the electronic framework that allowed the helmet to function.

He bent down and picked it up, carefully sliding it onto his head, being careful not to squish his ears. The helmet sealed onto his head with a hiss. Pressing a button on the side, he activated the scroll components he'd installed inside.

"Hello? Vigilantes anonymous, how can I help you?"

Roy stifled a chuckle, "Okay smarty, I was just checking what time you're going to bed."

Sierra snickered at her own joke, "Probably in a half hour," she said, "So, what's your first target?"

Roy checked a map of the city he'd spread across the rooftop, "There's an abandoned warehouse downtown that the local branch uses as a hideout, so I think I'll head there first, I'll ping you once I reach it so you can call the authorities."

"Will do." Sierra replied. "Don't forget, Sam will be ready to pick you up when you're finished. Just tell him where."

Roy rolled the map back up and stashed it in a PVC pipe under the edge of the building. Walking over to a pipe that climbed its way up the building, he swung himself over the side and slid down to the alley between the buildings. Upon reaching the alley. he began to creep towards the hideout, sticking to the back streets and dark areas.

He reached warehouse and stole quietly to the window, opened slightly to let in the warm spring air. It wasn't usually this warm in Mantle, so the inhabitants took advantage of it when they could.

Roy slid his fingers into the gap and slowly slid the window open. Sliding in, he hung from the window frame as he sized up the drop. Said drop was about 10 feet, so he released his hold on the windowsill and dropped down, landing softly on the cement floor. He sank into a crouch and moved forward carefully.

All the lights in the warehouse were dimmed, except for one in the very center, The cold white light illuminating a single metal chair and a camera. Sitting outside the circle of light was a table and on the table lay a tablet.

Roy began to edge forward but the sound of voices; one male and one female, caused him to quickly move into the shadows behind a large crate.

"So, what's the next stage?" The female voice asked.

"We move Shino to the next spot and then the next, and so on and so forth. That way the police won't be able to find us." The male voice responded.

The girl made a noise of agreement and the voices receded to the other side of the warehouse, the clang of a metal door signifying that they had left.

Roy slid out from behind the crate and crept toward the middle of the room. Reaching the table he picked up the tablet and turned it on.

Luckily there was no passcode lock and The screen flickered on to show a view of the Schnee executive in the chair, his face bloodied and his breathing labored.

A distorted voice spoke, "Read the prompts, and we won't hurt you."

Matsudo looked into the camera, "People…" he stammered, "People of Atlas...too long have you mistreated and taken advantage of the noble race of Faunus. No longer." He took a gulp of air and continued, "Since it is obvious you won't take them seriously when they were peaceful, they will now become you and Remnant's worst nightmare. If you ever want to see me alive you will…" He continued on with a list of demands.

Roy's hand shook with anger and he set the tablet down. Activating his comms, he called Sierra "Call them, Sierra, call them now."

"will do" Sierra said, "ETA...five minutes."

Roy grunted and and picking the tablet back up, started to slide it into a large pocket on the inside of his coat.

"Who the hell are you?!" A loud voice startled him, causing him to jump and drop the tablet with a smack.

Whirling around he saw a male hare Faunas with spiky auburn hair standing behind him in a fighting stance. "I've never seen you around here before! I'm taking you down." the faunus launched a kick at Roy's face.

Roy caught his foot and spun it, throwing the hare to the ground. The hare went with the twist and came up faster than Roy had reckoned.

"Get out of my way" Roy growled,

"Not gonna happen man!" the hare said and launched a punch aimed at Roy's gut.

He followed up the punch with a flurry of blows.

Roy blocked most of them, but one made it through and connected with his stomach. He gritted his teeth and launched his own punch at the hare's face. The hare caught his arm and swung him into a shelf, hard. The air was driven from his body

"Oh that's gonna leave a mark." Roy gritted out.

The hare had him by the throat and was trying to choke him. Roy broke the hold and quickly reached into his pocket and flicked open a baton that he'd bought at the surplus store with his helmet. He feinted with a kick and then, when the hare was distracted, Roy swung the baton into his head.

He wouldn't have been surprised if the sound it made could be heard outside.

The hare slumped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been severed. Roy quickly collapsed the baton, stowing it back in his coat, bent down to check the hare's pulse.

He was incredibly relieved to feel the light throbbing of a pulse under his fingers. He suddenly became aware of sirens coming closer, the dark street outside slowly becoming painted with the blue and red of Atlas security vehicles. Roy bolted to the window and quickly climbed through.

"Roy?" Sierra's voice startled him slightly "Are you okay? you went dark there for awhile."

Roy started jogging down the alley, "Yeah sorry, I was a little...preoccupied" he said. He was nearing the end of the alley as he said "I think I may have some information on the location for the Schnee company Exec-"

Something or someone bulled into him, knocking into some trash bins. He sprang back to his feet, ignoring the bruises forming on his knee and elbow. Standing in front of him was the female faunus. A mask covered the upper half of her face and she was breathing hard.

"Who the hell are you?!" she gritted out, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

something about the voice was familiar and Roy froze. He couldn't know for sure because the Faunus was still wearing her mask. He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her mask. He paid for it with a very solid fist to his faceplate. While it didn't hurt his face physically, it felt like his skull was vibrating.

The blow threw him backward, somehow he still retained the grip on her mask and as he fell back, pulling it off her face. He landed on his rear, clutching the mask in one hand and looked up.

His hunch had been true. Ebony Winterhold stood before him, looking like she was about to kill him.

"E..Ebony?" he stammered.

"Who the hell are you?!" she repeated. Roy pressed a button on the side of his mask and the lock disengaged with a hiss. He slid it off and heard Ebony gasp

"Roy ...?...But...You're...You're…"

Tears filled her eyes and she backed into the opposite side of the alley. She covered her mouth and slid down the wall until she was sitting across from Roy.

"Ebony…" he said, reaching out toward her.

"NO!" she cried, clutching her head in her hands, "YOU'RE DEAD...YOU'RE-"

Roy sprang across the alley and covered her mouth, his keen ears picking up the sound of Atlas security searching the premises.

A gruff male voice called out "What's up?"

Another voice replied "Eh, thought I heard something, it was probably just a stray dog."

the sounds of footsteps grew fainter and fainter, finally ceasing as the two men passed beyond Roy's range of hearing.

Roy removed his hand from Ebony's mouth,

"That feel alive enough?" he asked.

Ebony said nothing, she just slowly drew her knees up to hide her face. Roy started to say something, but thought better of it.

She doesn't want me to be alive, He thought sadly.

He began to turn away when suddenly he felt a tug on his coat hem. He turned to see Ebony gripping the fabric so tightly her knuckles had turned white. She still didn't look up, but she pulled him closer.

Turning around he suddenly became aware of one single fact. For the first time in his life, he was taller than Ebony. He became very uncomfortable and fell to his knees as to be nearer to her height.

They stayed that way; Roy kneeling and Ebony sitting, for about 3 minutes. The only sounds in the night air being passing cars on the distant street and Ebony's quiet sobs.

Roy reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper with Sierra's scroll number written on it. Reaching forward, he gently loosened Ebony's grip on his coat and quietly placed the piece of paper in her grasp.

Straightening up, he placed his helmet on his head and walked quietly away into the maze that was the Mantle metropolis.

 **Not Quite the reunion Roy imagined, but what can you do? I'm really happy I get to tell this story to everyone and your support means so much to me!**

 **Thank you for a wonderful year of story telling! We're so close to 2,000 views!**

 **More on the way, Have a happy and blessed New Year!**

 **Until Next we Meet!**


	32. Chapter 31: Just A Phone Call Away

Roy anxiously sat in a poofy, navy blue armchair in Sierra's living room. Sitting on the coffee table in front of him was Sierra's scroll. He'd been staring at it for the last hour, hoping and praying for it to ring.

Sierra walked through the living room, undoing her tie after a long shift. "Are you going to do anything productive?" she asked, tossing her tie at him.

Roy ignored her and the tie, continuing his vigil over the scroll. He'd suffered two false alarms over the past few hours; one had been a call to Sierra from her work and the other had been a friend of hers wanting to chat. He'd handed the scroll over to her both times and, when she had finished chatting, returned to his watch over the device.

Suddenly the screen activated and the ringer sounded. The speed at which he had swept the phone up surprised him and he hurriedly pressed the answer key.

"Hello?"

He heard a gasp on the other end of the line, then he heard Ebony say, "It is you…. I'd given up hope of ever hearing your voice again…" her voice caught and Roy fought to remain stoic,

"You know me, I never know when to stay down." he joked.

Ebony snickered weakly through her emotions, "Yeah, you never would surrender during our sparring sessions."

Roy snorted, "Please, we almost always fought to a standstill."

Ebony sniffed, "Yeah but I beat you once" she said softly.

Roy smiled at the memory, He'd bet Ebony that if he won the sparring match, she'd have to kiss him. "I think that's the fastest I've ever ended up on my back." he quipped.

Ebony stifled a laugh and cleared her throat. She spoke again, this time in a slightly more serious tone "Roy what were you doing at the Warehouse? You weren't dressed in your White Fang uniform and you attacked Tamello. Why?"

Roy felt a cold feeling crawl down his spine, he had no idea how Ebony would react to the truth. He sighed and decided to face the music,

"I was...weeding out the White Fang base there, I had no idea you were there though!" he added quickly.

There was a pregnant pause from the other end of the phone,

"Why?" Ebony whispered softly. She was clenching her teeth and Roy knew that if he could see her tail it would've been thrashing back and forth in anger. He took a breath and began to explain "The White Fang kidnapped someone Ebony, I can't just let that by-"

"IT'S NECESSARY!" Ebony shouted into the scroll, causing Roy to wince and hold it away from his ear.

"Is that you talking, or them?" he said quietly

"WHA-" Ebony stopped herself and took a breath, "Look Roy I don't know what you've been through but it's obviously messed with your head" she sighed, "I want to meet you in person...to talk"

Roy breathed in slowly. "I would love too" he said.

"Okay, how about we meet in front of the Great War memorial tomorrow at 3:30."

Roy grinned "yeah that sounds good, I'll be there."

He went to hang up but Ebony started speaking again, "Roy?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

"I'm happy your alive...I really thought I'd never hear your voice again."

Roy laughed through the lump in his throat, "I'll see you there."

He quickly hung up and set the scroll down on the coffee table. He sank back down into the chair with a sigh, his hands thrown limply to his sides.

 _How in Remnant am I going to change her mind?_ He thought.

Roy had first met Ebony when he'd joined the White Fang and from day one, she had been fully committed to the cause. Convincing her of the White Fang's wrong doing would be no easy feat.

He covered his eyes and groaned, His mind a mess of different ideas and emotions. For the first time in a long time, he didn't know what to do.

:

3:30 came far sooner than Roy would have liked. He left Sierra's house for the memorial at 3:00 to make sure he would be the first one there.

He still hadn't decided how to persuade Ebony that what the White Fang were doing was wrong. His best course of action was to listen to her main argument first, that was what Sierra had told him when he brought the problem to her.

He arrived at the the meeting place, and took in the sight of the Great War Memorial park.

The memorial itself was the dominating feature of the park and was made of a vibrant white marble that practically gleamed in the sun. It depicted a single Atlesian soldier standing with his arms held above his head. A single large dust crystal rotated slowly above his hands. The statue itself sat on a gigantic round pedestal covered in the names of the fallen.

Roy had never liked the statue for one simple reason; the figure depicted was just a single human with no homage paid to the countless faunus that had played a role in the Great War.

Roy shook his head and turned away from the white monument, scanning the surrounding area for Ebony. He finally spotted her walking toward him and smiled.

Ebony was wearing a long brown trench coat, her hair was up in a bun and she had her hands stuffed into the pockets. He chuckled as she walked up,

"What?" she said with a tinge of indignation.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, "It's just that you kinda look like a reporter in that coat."

Ebony huffed, "It's the best way to hide my tail, okay?"

Roy managed to straighten his face, "You're right I'm sorry." he apologized.

Ebony smiled and hugged him, "Oh I'm so glad you're alive Roy." Her eyes fell and she reached up and swept his bangs away, revealing his eyepatch. "Dust," She swore under her breath, "What did they do to you?"

Roy shied away from her hand, "Nothing that kept me down." he said matter-of-factly

Ebony smiled sadly, "That's so good to hear. We'd given up hope of seeing you again"

Roy looked puzzled, "We?" he asked, curiously.

"Yeah, Ronin and I."

Roy scowled, his hands clenching angrily at his sides.

"What's wrong?" Ebony asked.

"Did Ronin tell you about how he left me to die?" he asked sullenly.

Ebony looked shocked, "He...wha..?" She shook her head, "No, he probably just didn't see you."

Roy grit his teeth at Ebony's naive defense of his former friend. "I was lying on the floor of the warehouse, bleeding out and he stopped. I pleaded for help, I begged him Ebony and he looked me in the eye, turned around and left me."

Ebony was silent for several seconds, Roy could almost see her mind trying to process the information. "Well, he was probably scared." Roy sighed, exasperated as Ebony continued, "He probably thought-"

"Leaving me behind was necessary?" Roy said loudly.

Ebony looked taken aback by Roy's retort, "That's not what I was going to say-"

"Oh?" Roy interrupted her again, his temper getting the better of him. "And what were you going to say?"

Ebony stared levelly into Roy's eye, he couldn't stand her gaze and turned away, "How hard did you hit your head?" She asked.

Roy clenched his fists "I didn't hit my head, I know what I saw!"

Ebony was quiet for a long time. Finally she sighed, "Why can't things go back to the way they used to be?"

Roy sighed as well, "You mean before the White Fang became a terrorist organization bent on equality through any means necessary? Yeah that would be nice."

|Ebony grabbed his arm and spun him to face her. "That's not what we are!"

Roy cocked an eyebrow at her "Really? What part of violent robberies, arming ourselves and kidnapping high value targets isn't a terrorist organization?"

Ebony crossed her arms "It's for the greater good."

Roy leaned against the back of a nearby park bench "How great can that good be when we are equal out of fear rather than respect?"

Ebony looked at Roy as if he'd grown a second head, "The fight for a future where our children aren't afraid to be who they are? That's worth every drop of blood and sweat we can spend!"

Roy stepped closer to her, "And what about the blood and sweat that isn't yours to spend? The innocent and the bystanders?"

Ebony mouthed wordlessly, trying to formulate an argument.

Roy stepped back and sighed, "Simon once said "when you become equal through another's pain and suffering is when you have truly lost the battle"-"

"SIMON'S DEAD ROY!" Ebony snapped, gesturing wildly with her hand. "ATLAS KILLED HIM, THE HUMANS KILLED HIM!"

Roy grabbed Ebony firmly by the shoulders, "No! They didn't! As much as I want to hate them for this, it was faulty Atlesian knights that killed our friends."

Ebony shrugged the information off, "Atlas has exploited us for years, using faunus in the mines while cutting corners that have caused countless deaths! Numerous faunus have died preserving this corrupt society!" She argued pointedly.

Roy nodded furiously,"Yes! We are both agreed on that! All I'm saying is the White Fang's way of doing things is just not right!"

Ebony shrugged away from his hands "So tell me, what would the "great vigilante" have us do?" she said.

Roy's face fell and he drew his hands back, "I...I don't know"

Ebony scoffed and turned away, "That's what I thought." she said, her voice dripping with scorn.

"Ebony-" he called after her.

"Don't call me Roy, IF-" she stressed the word, "-I want to talk, I'll call you"

She stalked away across the park, leaving Roy standing alone in front of the snowy white figure.

 **We're baaaaackkk :3**

 **Oh it feels so good to say this but...TALES OF REMNANT JUST HIT 2,000 VIEWS! I cannot tell you guys how** **ecstatic** **I am! I'd like to thank each and everyone of my followers for their support, My editor Austin for all of his hard work and Feirces** **omestDefenestrator for being my inspiration to finally tell my story. Without you none of this would be possible. Thank you so much!** **Until Next We Meet!**

 **-Ar3mRising**


	33. Chapter 32: The Honorable Thing

Weeks went by without any word from Ebony, but Roy had expected this to happen.

He admitted to himself he'd handled the argument in the park rather poorly and wished he could have a chance to do it over again. But the past is the past and cannot be changed. So, to distract himself, Roy dedicated himself fully to the vigilantism. Ever night meant a new White Fang plot to stop and another round of bruises and sleep deprivation.

He knew he was only catching a small number of the total White Fang crimes being committed, but at least he was out, being a real thorn in the White Fang's side. The amount of irritation he was causing became painfully apparent one morning, exactly four weeks after his meeting with Ebony.

Roy was sleeping curled up in bed with the blankets over his head. The night before had been particularly rough and he was grateful for the few merciful hours he was able to nap during the day. Suddenly, there came a hurried knocking from the door.

"Roy!...Get downstairs, you have to see this!" Sierra called from outside.

Roy dragged himself from the comforting warmth of the bed with a groan. Throwing on some clothes, he opened the door.

"What is it?" he asked groggily.

Sierra grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the hall. "We have a situation" she said; the seriousness in her tone causing Roy to come fully awake.

"What kind of situation?" he asked.

Sierra shook her head, "It's easier to show you, come on."

She led him downstairs into the living room. The TV was on with the sound muted, the screen showing-.

"That's Shino!" Roy exclaimed darting forward to get nearer to the TV.

The Schnee executive looked awful. his steel-blue eyes were blackened and his lips were cracked and bleeding. Sierra unmuted the TV and Roy heard a distorted voice say, "Five" off camera.

"They've been counting out the minutes since ten minutes ago." Sierra said, chewing the nail on her index finger. "I think they're going to issue some sort of ultimatum."

Roy shot a look back at Sierra, "What kind of Ultimatum?" he asked.

Sierra shrugged, "Probably a ransom of some sort...I'm just worried because my boss has actively said on multiple occasions that the company won't negotiate with terrorists."

Roy turned back to the television as the voice barked "Four" He tried his best to pick out distinctive details of the surroundings, maybe a clue to give them a bead on the location, but nothing presented itself.

The room shown on the television was shrouded in shadow, a small spotlight showing Matsudo sitting in front of the White Fang banner. "Three" the voice echoed through the room again.

"No," another voice spoke, "We've waited long enough."

A figure slowly materialized out of the darkness behind the executive. They were wearing a traditional White Fang uniform with a white hood and white grim mask. Roy's heart beat faster as he saw two large antlers protruding through two holes cut out of the top of the hood.

"Ronin" he growled, his fingers curling into fists.

Ronin stared into the camera for a few more moments before addressing the audience,

"People of Atlas," he began, "Long have the faunus suffered in this twisted society. We are your reckoning, we are the winds of change. We are the White Fang" He turned and strode to the battered and bruised executive. "This is not what we wanted." The buck faunus said placing his hand almost good naturedly on Matsudo's shoulder. "We wanted to be treated as equals...but you ignored our voices and continued to treat us like animals. So, we became the very beasts you saw us as. But, there is someone out there, a faunus, a coward, who is working against us, undermining us, stopping us from achieving the equality we've fought for for so long. I know what you're thinking, Why should we, the people of Atlas care?...Well, it's very simple."

Ronin drew a pistol from his side and pointed it at Shino's head. "You have until midnight tonight to deliver this vigilante to us...or Matsudo Shino will die. Make your choice...who would you rather save?...another animal with a skewed sense of justice, or one of your own upstanding...human citizens. The choice Atlas….is yours" The transmission cut back to the regular daily programming.

Sierra's living room was dead silent, the only sound coming from the television. Roy was stunned. He'd obviously been expecting an ultimatum, but he hadn't expected that.

"Roy?" Sierra's voice brought him back down to earth with a bump.

"Hmm?" he responded, slowly turning to face her.

"What will you do?"she asked quietly.

Roy sighed and turned to walk back upstairs.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

He heard Sierra jump up from her chair behind him. "I'm going to go get dressed and turn myself in." he responded as he walked up the stairs and into his room with Sierra in tow.

Roy strode over to the closet and threw open the closet door, taking out his coat and his helmet.

"The White Fang…" Sierra said quietly "They'll kill you."

Roy slid his arms into the coat and began fastening it up the front. "Probably," He replied.

"Then why go!?" Sierra cried "Damnit ROY!" She grabbed his shoulder and made him look at her, "Why!?"

Roy sighed and grasped her hand, "A man's life depends on me going. It's the honorable thing to do."

Sierra's lip quivered as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Sierra...Please don't cry" Roy said, using his finger to gently sweep some of the tears away.

"You idiot!" Sierra pulled him into a hug and sobbed into his shoulder. Roy held her and gently patted her back,

"There there...shhh" he said, trying to calm her down.

"I'm scared." Sierra said softly, gripping Roy tighter.

"I know…" Roy whispered "I am too, but I have to do this."

He gently extricated himself from Sierra's hug and left the room leaving her standing alone.

Roy left Sierra's house and walked toward the city center where the police station was. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, so there were only a few people out and about to gawk at the helmeted figure walking slowly, but surely, down the street. He finally made it to the police station; it was a white brick building with sliding glass doors and barred windows. Unlike most kingdoms, Atlas didn't keep their Military and police force separated, choosing instead to unify them. Roy took a deep breath and walked inside, surprising the Atlas military officer leaning against the reception desk. The man leapt to his feet and drew his weapon.

"FREEZE!" he shouted, "PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD AND GET ON YOUR KNEES!"

Roy did as he was bidden, sliding to his knees with his hands clasped behind his head. The officer moved forward slowly until he finally grasped Roy's right hand and pulled it behind his back, quickly fastening a pair of silver cuffs on him.

"Montagne! Call the captain! Tell him I have the Vigilante in interrogation room 4!" he barked to a freckle faced recruit who saluted and shot off deeper into the building. The officer leaned forward, "Thanks for making this easy for everyone." he murmured into Roy's ear.

The officer took Roy down a dark hallway until they reached a room with a large metal table in the center. A large, two way mirror made up one wall of the room and a camera swiveled, left to right, in the far right corner.

The officer uncuffed Roy's hands and placed them on the table. Taking two U shaped objects from his belt, he flipped a switch on the table and placed the objects over Roy's wrists. A second later, a strong magnetic force bolted Roy's hands to the table.

"Sit tight." the officer ordered him and hurriedly left the room. Roy waited for what seemed like hours until the door to the room finally slid open once more.

A tall man with blonde hair and green eyes strode into the room. He stood about 5'10 and the insignia on his coat marked him as a captain in the Atlas military.

"So...you're our vigilante" he said in a deep baritone voice.

"Yes." Roy said, the sound of his own voice, unmodulated, coming from the mask felt odd. He'd deliberately turned the modulator off as to be less threatening to the authorities.

The captain's eyebrow rose, "You sound young, how old are you kid?"

Roy coyly tilted his head slightly, "That's classified." he said.

The captain snorted, "Cute, what's your name?"

Roy kept his head tilted as he responded, "Confidential."

The man let out an exasperated sigh, "Ok, "Confidential" I'll introduce myself. My name is Cpt. Nathaniel Gainsboro of the Atlesian Military."

Roy straightened his head "It's a pleasure to meet you...but you still don't need to know my name...or my age. If you'd like, you can call me Roy."

Gainsboro steepled his fingers, "Is that your real name?" he asked warily.

Roy chuckled darkly, "That's for me to know." he said.

Gainsboro raised his hands in defeat, "You're right, I don't need to know anything about you, all we have to do is hand you over to the White Fang tonight." Roy took a deep breath, trying not to let his thundering heartbeat distract him.

"They'll kill me." he said quietly.

Gainsboro avoided looking at him. "It's none of my concern, we just need to get Matsudo back."

Roy nodded, "I understand that, I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

Gainsboro looked Roy up and down thoughtfully, "Are you actually a faunus under that helmet?" he asked. Roy nodded silently. "And you just gave yourself up for a human that you don't know." Gainsboro said incredulously and Roy nodded again. Gainsboro sighed and stood up from the table, "You've got guts kid, and Atlas thanks you for your work and you sacrifice-." |

"What if it didn't have to be a sacrifice?" Roy said quickly to stop the Captain from leaving.

Gainsboro paused,

"Go on," he said simply.

"What if when you turn me over, you have me in a pair of unlocked cuffs. That way, I'll at least have a fighting chance!" Roy allowed some of the fear he was feeling to seep into his words. For a second he could've sworn he saw Gainsboro's eyes soften.

"Please," he begged softly "I don't want to die tied up like a dog, just give me a chance."

Gainsboro sighed and sat back down, "Look, you seem like a decent sort, so...I'll run it by my superiors. If!" He held his hand up to waylay any words from Roy, "You promise not to make a break for it until we've got Matsudo clear."

Roy nodded, "You have my word."

Gainsboro looked at Roy for a few more moments before turning and leaving the room, leaving Roy alone with his thoughts.

At 11:30 PM, Roy was loaded into the back of a military transport. Gainsboro got into the back of the transport with him and, reaching over, slid a small card across his cuffs. A small beep sounded and Roy felt the cuffs loosen.

"Don't make me regret this kid." Gainsboro said as he sat across from him. "If anything happens to Matsudo, I'm holding you personally responsible."

Roy nodded, "Understood."

Gainsboro nodded and settled back into the transport's rough leather seats. "In case anything happens is there anyone you'd like us to contact?"

Roy bit his lip, he knew Sierra would never forgive him if she heard about his death on the news first, but at the same time he didn't want to drag her into it.

"No" he finally said "No one."

The transport reached the meeting place ten minutes later. Roy fought to control his heart rate; it felt as if it would beat straight through his ribs and out of his chest. The butterflies darting around his stomach didn't help matters either.

Gainsboro stayed by the truck as Roy and a small contingent of Atlas troops pressed forward toward the Dust mine entrance that served as the exchange location. At 11:50, three figures emerge from the inside the mine shaft. In the middle was the executive; his hands bound behind him and blindfolded. To his left, to Roy's disbelief, was Ebony, decked out in full white fang regalia. On her face was her white grimm mask, he'd always thought she looked, well, hot in the mask. Now, however, he was wishing he could see her eyes.

To the executive's left was Ronin. He had no mask and wore the uniform of an upper rank White Fang Member. The sight of his former friend made Roy's blood boil. He'd heard things about him in the past few weeks; the Antlered faunas who operated with extra ferocity and cruelty. He forced himself to calm down,

Don't let personal grudges get in the way. He thought, A man's life is at stake!

The trio moved forward, advancing at a steady pace toward the Atlas contingent.

"That's far enough." The officer behind Roy said, Causing Ronin to stop 20 paces from the group. "We have the vigilante" The officer said calmly, gesturing to Roy.

Ronin snorted, "I guess humans really aren't as pathetic as we thought." he said with a small smirk. "Take that mask off, let's see who's been giving the White Fang so much trouble."

Roy took a step backward.

"That's not how this works," The officer said, "You don't get to make anymore demands."

Ronin pressed the gun barrel into the exec's temple, "Screw how this works. No reveal, no deal."

Roy's heart thumped in his chest, I need to save the executive, that is the priority, I'll do damage control later.

He leaned over to the officer,"There's a button at the base of the helmet in the back." He whispered.

The officer nodded and a second later, Roy felt the faceplate slid forward, allowing the Officer to slide it off his head and place it on the ground next to him.

The moonlight played over his face and the chilly night air nipped at his nose and faunus ears. Ronin's face blanched with shock and he looked away, clearly angry.

"Is this trade acceptable?" the officer asked. Ronin nodded and jerked his head in their direction. Ebony stepped forward, her hands firmly keeping a hold of Shino.

"Give us the traitor and then I'll let the executive go." Ronin gritted out, clearly trying to restrain his temper. The officer nodded and pushed Roy towards the trio. Ebony shoved the executive toward the Atlesians and the man stumbled forward as Roy took several steps forward.

Roy was drawing near the executive, when, all of a sudden a gunshot rang out. Blood splattered Roy's face with crimson spray and he recoiled with a cry of shock as the executive's body slumped to the ground. Looking toward the Ronin, he saw the gun swiveling in his direction. At the last second, Ebony shoved the gun up and it discharged harmlessly into the air.

"No!" she cried, "We have to go, now!"

Ronin shot a hate filled glance at Roy before turning and running away into the tundra.

Rage pulsed through Roy like lightning, he slipped out of his cuffs and sprinted after Ronin.

"RONIN!" he bellowed, charging pel mel after them. He ran with reckless abandon, snow spraying in all directions from his headlong rush. Finally he caught sight of his quarry: An airship parked out on the tundra. Ronin was standing in front of it, yelling at Ebony and gesturing wildly with the gun in her face.

"RONIN!" Roy roared again. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Ronin stopped yelling at Ebony and turned to face his former friend.

"What? Orders are orders!" Ronin shouted back arms held in a half shrug, "What the hell is wrong with you?!" he snarled, pointing the gun at Roy, "You've turned your back on your family! Your entire species! How many more human scum are standing behind you?!"He shouted.

Roy's blood was up, "I'm just doing what has to be done to stop people like you!" he yelled.

"Like me? That's rich coming from a traitor like you!" Ronin retorted. "The White Fang wants your head and I intend to deliver, but I can't see why I can't bee the shit out of you first!"

He tossed the gun to Ebony who seemed to be in a daze, unable to fully grasp what was going on. Ronin began to close the distance between them,

"I was hoping I'd be the one to find you!" he called. "Do you know how many of my comrades, OUR comrades! Ronin gestured wildly, "You've had arrested? They were my true friends!"

Roy gritted his teeth, "And what was I?" he yelled, "You were like a brother to me Ronin, and you left me to die!"

Ronin scoffed, "You were dead weight. besides I'm no brother to turncoats."

Roy physically winced at Ronin's cold words. It was true, he was a traitor to the White Fang, but he couldn't let their crimes go by without repercussions.

"What do you think Simon would say if he saw his precious Roy turning his back on what he died for?" Ronin snapped.

Roy's heart was pounding in his ears, "Don't you DARE bring Simon into this! He died for equality! Not this terroristic bullshit the White Fang has been doing!"

Ronin smiled, a cold, empty expression, "We have nothing to say to each other, traitor"

The two faunus were now standing facing each other. They were so close that Roy could count the hairs growing on Ronin's chin. The tundra had grown deathly still, not unlike the moment before the opening of a play.

Blood had been spilled and death still lingered in the air.

 **Wowie, Things sure are heating up!**

 **Until next we meet.**

 **Eli H.**

 **Ar3mRising.**


	34. Chapter 33: Brothers No Longer

The tension finally snapped as Roy launched a kick at Ronin's face.

The buck faunus blocked the kick and launched a kick of his own which was, in turn was blocked by Roy. The combatants leapt backwards away from each other and began circling,

Roy charged at Ronin, launching a flurry of blows at Ronin's face and torso. Ronin blocked as many as he could, only allowing one to his cheek and one to his side. He grunted and launched his own counter attack that caught Roy in the stomach.

Roy made an audible "Oof!" as Ronin's fist connected with his stomach. He stumbled back, but planted his foot and sprang forward head-butting Ronin in the chin. He heard a harsh clacking noise as Ronin's teeth crashed together.

Ronin recovered faster then Roy thought and he grabbed Roy by the hair and brought his knee up, it collided with Roy's forehead and he fell back landing on his rear.

Black spots danced across his vision and Ronin stalked closer. He stepped too close and Roy capitalized on this by swinging his leg around. He swept Ronin's legs out from under him, bringing the buck faunus crashing down next to him. Roy got up on his knees and blocked just in time as Ronin's leg swung over in an attempt to catch him in the face.

The force of the kick knocked him backwards, he rolled and came up on his feet. Springing forward, Roy launched a solid punch that smashed into Ronin's cheek, opening a cut along the bone. Ronin stumbled backwards, but recovered charging Roy with a wild yell.

He swung his fists wildly and Roy blocked most of the blows, but one made it through smashing into Roy's nose. He heard a snap as his nose fractured, followed by the awful coppery taste of his blood as it trickled down from his nose.

Ronin launched another punch, Roy caught it and launched his own punch with his other hand. Ronin caught it with a meaty smack as Roy's hand slammed into his palm. They stood there deadlocked, one straining against the other. Roy's chin was almost completely crimson with the blood from his nose and Ronin's cheek was in roughly in the same condition. Roy gave one more large shove against Ronin then dropped backwards onto his back. He'd anticipated Ronin shoving back and shove Ronin did.

So strong was his momentum that he went flying over Roy and landed hard on his face. Roy got up and turned, Ronin was staying down. Roy took a step toward his former friend.

"Had enough?" he asked.

Ronin sprang up and hurled a fist full of snow into Roy's face, causing him to stumble back, desperately trying to clear his vision. He regained his sight right as Ronin slammed into him head down, his sharp antlers driving into Roy's stomach.

Roy desperately backpedaled further to keep the antlers from penetrating deeper. Suddenly his foot hit a patch of ice and he pitched backwards. Ronin's momentum caused him to land on Roy and The buck faunus grabbed Roy's head as they landed, slamming it into the ground.

Roy saw stars and gasped, all the air driven from his body as Ronin slammed him bodily into the ground once more. Ronin began laying into Roy with punch after punch. Roy brought up his arms to try and block the blows but he was just too groggy from his collision with the ice.

At some point the blows didn't seem to hurt as much,

Great, I'm going numb he thought.

Ronin grabbed a chunk of ice from the ground. He brought it up, ready to swing it down and cave Roy's skull in. He stopped as he heard a gun cock

"Get off him Ronin!"

Ronin turned and Roy followed his gaze. Ebony was standing stock still, pointing the gun at Ronin. Her eyes were burning with a dangerous light.

"We're supposed to bring him in alive, now get off!" she said sharply.

"NO!" Ronin shouted, "I need to do this!"

Ebony gasped "Why? Why did you kill the executive? There was no need! we had what we wanted!"

"NO!" Ronin snarled "they were going to take us Ebony, I couldn't let that happen. I still need to get revenge for Simon, for Tamello! Human's all hate us anyway"

"N...no..they…" Roy stammered, Ronin slammed his ice-free fist into Roy's jaw.

"SHUT UP!" He roared in Roy's face.

"Ronin, Please!" Ebony begged, "You're killing your best friend!"

Ronin froze and looked down at Roy. For one fleeting second, a flicker of doubt appeared in his eyes. It was gone the next instant,

"My best friend died in Warehouse 13." Ronin gritted out, "Just let me do what is NECESSARY!"

He suddenly swung the ice towards Roy's head. Roy closed his eyes, he heard Ebony scream and a gunshot once again rang out in the chilly air.

Roy heard the ice it the ground and felt a heavy weight fall across him. Opening his eyes, he looked down. Ronin was draped over him, blood staining the back of his White Fang uniform a deep crimson hue.

Roy was too groggy to do anything except stir feebly under his friends weight. Finally, enough energy returned for Roy to tip Ronin's limp form off of him. Sitting up, Roy felt his world spinning, the blows to the head not doing him any favors. He shakily leaned over, placing two fingers against Ronin's throat to check for a pulse.

He felt nothing,

Panicking, he pressed his ear to Ronin's chest, nothing.

"No, no nonono no!" he mumbled as he hurriedly began to administer CPR.

Leaning down, he listened again and again a silence, terrible and final, greeted him. He tried again and again and again, but, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to coax the spark of life back into his former friend. Roy looked over at Ebony and sadly shook his head.

Ebony slid to her knees in the soft green grass with a small thump. She looked at the gun in her hand and threw it away from her like the handle had burned her. Tears began to slide down her cheeks from beneath her mask and she started to hyperventilate. She bent forward until her forehead touched the ground. Opening her mouth, she let out a cry; a long keening wail that echoed across the tundra.

Roy would never, ever forget the sound as long as he lived.

Ebony began sobbing and Roy crawled over to her. "Ebony, you have to go…. Otherwise you'll get arrested. Please! You have to!"

Ebony looked at Roy, her eyes were full of horror."I'm….Sorry...I...I" She leapt up and ran into the airship, which sped off. Leaving Roy in the blood and silence.

Crawling back to Ronin's corpse, Roy sat down and supported Ronin's head. He gently closed his friend's eyes which had been staring wide and unblinking at the night sky.

"Why?" he repeated Ebony's question "Why did you do it?"

Roy's eyes filled with tears as he looked into Ronin's face. Apart from the deathly paleness of his cheeks and the lack of warmth he could've just been sleeping.

Roy took a shaky breath, "You...Idiot"

He closed his eyes and finally let the tears come. Memories of Ronin he'd been repressing rose to the surface making the pain he felt all the more excruciating. He cradled Ronin's body and rocked gently back and forth, sobbing quietly.

He there for what seemed like an eternity. A bright light shining in his eyes broke through his daze.

"FREEZE! GET YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" a voice shouted.

Roy groggily raised his hands but the pain from his antler wound caused him to drop one to his side.

"HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" the voice commanded again.

He looked around. He was surrounded by four Atlas security agents, each one training their weapons on him. Roy used his one hand to shield his face from the lights that were scorching his eyes

"Stand down men!" another voice barked, it was Gainsboro.

Roy still couldn't see, so he just shut his eyes tightly trying to shut out the burning white light

"You okay Kid?" Gainsboro asked.

Roy shook his head. "No….Is Matsudo dead?" he asked.

"Yeah," Gainsboro responded dully. "The bullet struck him in the back of the head, he died instantly."

Roy took a shaky breath, "I'm….I'm so...so sorry." he stammered fighting back angry tears.

Gainsboro swore under his breath, "It wasn't your fault kid, you were doing everything you were supposed to." He turned to the troops who were still pointing their guns unflinchingly at Roy, "Hey men could you perhaps not shine a bright light in this young man's face?"

One of the soldiers snorted, "It's not like we're hurting him."

Roy wondered if they could see the pained tears sliding down his face from the bright lights, "You actually are," he gritted out "I'm a cat faunus and have extra sensitive vision at night."

The captain sighed "Lights down men."

The blinding light went away and Roy opened his eye. It was sore and he still couldn't see. He slid out from under Ronin's body and took Gainsboro's hand as the man helped him to stand. He took a single step away from Gainsboro and pitched forward,

"Woah, steady there" the Gainsboro said, stepping forward to catch Roy.

The young faunus spotted his helmet and staggered over to pick it up and cradle it.

"...He said he was under orders to shoot Matsudo once they had what they wanted." he said, gesturing toward Ronin. "I knew him from...well from before...we fought and I killed him."

Gainsboro ran his hand through his hair, "I'm sorry to hear that kid." he sighed, "Were you two close?"

Roy nodded, "Basically brothers" he said, his voice breaking.

One of the agents raised an inquiring finger, "Uh Captain Gainsboro?"

"Yes Gibson?" Gainsboro responded.

"Are we taking him in?" Gibson asked, pointing at Roy, who tensed and got ready to run.

"No, I don't think so," Gainsboro responded, "I think our young hero has been through enough tonight." Roy relaxed and the captain turned away. "Shit! this is a mess!" He turned to his men, "Cordon off this area and start taking inventory!" turning to Roy, he removed his hat, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Roy looked at Ronin's corpse one last time "Just see he gets sent off properly." he said, his throat constricted and he looked away, blinking away another wave of tears.

Turning away from the scene, he was about to walk away when Gainsboro spoke again, "Hey kid, shouldn't you go to a hospital?" he asked.

"Too many cameras." Roy replied simply.

"Ah, understood. I hope to cross paths with you again under better circumstances son, you're a credit to your species"

Roy didn't even smile at the compliment; he simply walked away, placing his helmet back on his head as he went. Activating his comms he called home "Sierra I'm coming back to base."

"Oh thank the gods!" she exclaimed, "I was so worried!"

Roy sniffed, "I'll be home soon." he murmured before hanging up.

Roy called Sam and caught a ride back to Atlas. He rode in a daze, ignoring the pain from his side and head. His nose had stopped bleeding, leaving the blood in a dry streak stretching down his chin. The antler wound in his side was still bleeding but not as bad as before, Roy didn't know if this was a good sign or not.

Before he knew it, He was finally standing on Sierra's front step and unlocking the door. Opening it, he stepping forward into the entryway. The strength in his limbs seemed to drain away and he collapsed down onto the bottom steps of stairs.

"Roy! Are you okay?" Sierra came bolting over from the kitchen, "Oh Dust, you're covered in blood." she began trying to undo his coat clasps.

"It's not all mine," he said, weakly trying to fend her off.

"Roy...Who else's is it?" Sierra asked him.

He gritted his teeth before answering, "Matsudo's-" Sierra gasped,but Roy continued, "...and Ronin's." He looked into Sierra's eyes, his single Sapphire blue eye filling with tears, "I failed them Sierra….Ronin, Matsudo...Simon….I failed them all...I..." His voice caught and the tears started to spill down his cheeks, "I…"

he collapsed in tears for the second time in as many moons, he wept, sobbing so hard it felt like his throat would tear itself apart. He curled into a ball on the staircase, his head buried in his arms.

He felt Sierra's arms encompassing him, holding him protectively. She gently stroked his cat ears, whispering gently to him,

"Ssshhhhh, there there, let it out. I'm right here." she cooed softly.

Roy cried until he had no more tears to cry. He began to shiver, a chill gripping him, pulling at him and clawing away at his very bones.

Sierra felt him shivering and gently pulled him up, "Come on, let's warm you up…"

She helped him up the stairs and into the bathroom. She turned the shower on full blast and shut the door, allowing the steam to build up.

"Here" she said, "Let's get you out of that bloody coat."

Sierra gently unclasped the coat and slid it off and gasped as she saw the wound in his side. "I'll have to bandage that up; your aura will have to do most of the work"

Roy nodded dully held his arm up as Sierra cleaned the wound and wrapped it in bandages. Afterwards, she gently sponged away at his bruised and cut face, finally cleaning all of the blood away.

"Your nose is broken and needs to be set" she said gravely, "It's going to hurt like a bitch."

Roy made a dismissive gesture with his hand, "Just do it"

Sierra placed her thumbs firmly on either side of his nose, "On three...One...Two...Three"

She set his nose with a small snap and Roy groaned. She'd been right, it did hurt like a bitch.

"Do you want something to eat?" Sierra asked gently.

Roy put his head in his hands, "I just want to sleep." Sierra nodded and helped him stand once more, "Here, I'll help." Slowly but surely they made their way to Roy's room and Sierra gently undressed him before tumbling him into bed and tucking him in.

"I'll make sure nothing wakes you tomorrow...okay?" she said gently.

Roy, almost asleep already, turned over,

"Thanks mom." he mumbled.

Sierra blushed slightly and left the room, leaving Roy to his much deserved rest.

 **This was a hard chapter to write. I liked Ronin and didn't want to kill him. There was a draft where he survived and went to prison, but I fed that draft to my dog and followed through with his death.  
** **Thank you guys for being so patient with these chapters. We've reached 2,200 views already! Whooo!**

 **Until next we meet!** - **Ar3mRising.**


	35. Chapter 34:Wandering LostA Tale's End

Months passed, spring came to a close, summer began and Roy still hadn't seen or heard anything from Ebony.

To say he was worried would have been an understatement. Ebony had been in a very bad way when he'd seen her last and he was worried about what she might do. Roy walked through the park almost every day, scanning the surrounding streets and shops for a sign of his friend but he still came up with nothing. He took to sleeping by the phone, hoping and praying that Ebony would call or text, anything.

Not that he'd been sleeping much anyway. The night terrors had returned, just as vivid and debilitating as last time. Once again needing a distraction, Roy had gone back to his nightly routine. The White Fang was still as busy as ever and Roy was working hard, sometimes through the night to keep them in check.

One night, after he'd returned from his nightly activities, his scroll chimed. He slowly slid it open and pushed talk.

"Hello?" he said hopefully,

" The park, tomorrow 10:00 AM." Ebony's voice said softly, before hanging up before Roy had a chance to respond.

He looked at the scroll bemused as Sierra sauntered into the room,

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Ebony," Roy said. "She wants to meet me in Memorial park tomorrow at 10:00."

Sierra looked relieved. "Well that's good news! Now go to bed. The sooner you do the sooner tomorrow will come."

The next morning Roy showered, dressed and ate breakfast in record time. He was about to walk out the door when Sierra grabbed his arm,

"Just...be gentle," She implored, "do more listening than talking."

Roy nodded, "I will, thank you Sierra."

She released his hand and leaned against the banister of the stairs.

"Don't mention it." She said with a smile.

Exiting the house, Roy strode out of the front door and down the steps to the sidewalk. It was a five minute walk to the corner, a 10 minute wait for the taxi and 10 more minutes for the trip back to the main city. The taxi dropped Roy off a minute or so from the park and he was able to make it just it time for his and Ebony's rendezvous.

It was warm summer day and the sky was blue, with a few white fluffy clouds drifting lazily across the maya expanse. Parents had brought their children out to play on the playground in the park and the children ran and laughed in the warm Atlas sun.

Scanning the arena, Roy spotted Ebony sitting on a bench in the shadow of the memorial. She wore her long trench coat, her hands stuffed into the pockets and her eyes watching the children at play. From where Roy was standing, he could see that she was in a sorry state. Her long silky black hair was in tangles, her normally vibrant green eyes were dull from fatigue and her slumped posture betrayed just how tired she was.

Roy sighed, walked over and sat down. He didn't look at Ebony, just sat and waited. A child laughed loudly and Roy flinched, Ebony simply sat and continued staring at the playground.

She finally spoke, "Did you know a child saved my life a couple weeks ago?"

Roy looked at her, "Do tell." he said.

"It was a couple days after...that night." she began "I was...in bad shape and I couldn't see a way out. Either I would spend nights curled in a fetal position, what I did playing over and over in my head or I would wake screaming from a nightmare. The guilt, the self loathing, it was just eating me alive. I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I went somewhere to be alone and I took a gun I'd stolen from the warehouse."

Roy took a deep breath as Ebony continued, "At least I thought I would be alone. A human family had stopped for a picnic nearby so I hid and waited for them to leave. It was a mom, a dad and their child. The mom was playing with the child, and the child…The child had horns."

Roy blinked, "A faunus child with human parents?" he asked,

Ebony nodded. "I hid my gun and went to ask the mother about it. Turned out the child was an orphan, she'd lost both her parents in a mining accident and they'd adopted her. They didn't treat her differently, just loved her for who she was."

Her voice caught, Roy slid down the bench and touched Ebony's arm. She regained her composure and continued, "

The girl walked over to me and grabbed my hand, the look she gave me Roy…" She clutched his hand, "Her eyes were just so...innocent and happy." Ebony took a shaky breath, "As I walked home, I thought about what I'd almost done, I thought about you, my parents, my sister. Everyone who would be devastated if I died. I can't bear the thought of causing you or them pain like that." Ebony clenched her fist until it was shaking by her side, "I promised myself that I would never let children, like that little faunas child, witness the brutality and savagery that I have." She stood up and turned to face Roy, "I want to keep people like those in that family safe. I want to keep them from feeling the pain that I have. I just don't know how!" Ebony leaned forward and clutched her head. "I'm wandering, lost and I don't know the way to go. I can't go back to the White Fang but I don't have any home to go back to. Help me...please"

She sank back down onto the bench and leaned her head on Roy's shoulder, exhaustion finally overcoming her. Roy put his arm around her,

"Simon once told me of his dream for this world" He began, "it was "A place where humans and faunus walked together as equals everywhere" he called it. Even after being injured in the Warehouse 13 raid, I was still convinced that the White Fang was the best chance of that happening. I was still lost in the dark and my new friend Sierra tried to show me how wrong I was. I still didn't believe her and then the White Fang kidnapped the executive. That was when I realised; this wasn't equality through respect that Simon wanted, it was equality through fear. The White Fang has gone to lengths that I don't think Simon would agree with."

Ebony shook her head, "I don't think so either."

Roy nodded "We must make our own way now. As for where to go; Sierra gave me a place to call home, I know she'll do the same for you."

Ebony looked sleepily into Roy's face, "Can you help me too?" she asked.

Roy nodded "Of course." he smiled as he felt Ebony drop off next to him, "I'll always be there for you Ebony...Always"

Two years later

"And you know the rest." Roy finished.

He coughed roughly and winced. The story had taken almost 2 hours to tell and Roy's throat was in rough shape. Ironwood took a sip of his fourth cup of coffee.

"That is quite the story." he said.

Roy settled back in his chair, "It's all true."

Ironwood laced his fingers, "I'm not sure if I believe you."

Roy sat up in his chair "Why not?" he asked.

"I make it a habit not to trust former White Fang members." Ironwood said cooly.

Roy was stunned, "Does the fact that I was almost cut in half by Adam Taurus mean nothing?" He asked furiously.

Ironwood's face remained passive as he said, "For all I know you and Taurus were working together and the human members of your team tried to stop you."

Roy jumped to his feet and leaned onto the desk, his face inches from the general's

"I want you to listen very carefully" he said quietly, "I may have made mistakes in my past, but I will never, **ever** hurt or betray my team. Are we clear?"

Ironwood raised an eyebrow "I believe you" he finally said.

Roy collapsed back into his chair "What changed your mind?" he asked.

Ironwood sat in silence for a minute then spoke "The look in your eye. Never try to play cards, your eye is like an open book." Ironwood sighed and set several of the files back in his desk drawer. "It might make you feel better to know that Captain Gainsboro was relieved of his command after the incident. It was believed he showed exceptionally poor judgement in his handling of the hostage situation."

Roy sniffed disdainfully, "Not the only bit of poor judgement shown by Atlas."

Ironwood re-laced his fingers "What do you mean?" he asked.

Roy laughed mirthlessly "Oh like you don't know, I even mentioned it in my story. After the attack you claimed that Atlas had orchestrated the massacre at the warehouse, How on all of Remnant did you think that was a good idea?"

Ironwood was silent. Roy settled back and fiddled with a dent in the table,

"It was Jacques Schnee's idea"

Roy blinked, looking at Ironwood in disbelief, "Why would you let a private citizen, especially one as reviled as Schnee, make political power plays like that?!"

Ironwood refused to look him in the eye "No one else knows and you will kindly keep that piece of information to yourself. The fact of the matter is, He holds several seats on the council and he funds several of our….more important research projects. This gives him a certain amount of power if he chooses to intervene-"

"Interfere you mean." Roy snapped.

Ironwood's face stayed completely passive as he continued, "I could bring you in for your crimes against Atlas, but I'll let it slide. All of the White Fang you helped us root out back then will serve as payment. I no longer owe you anything."

Roy stood briskly "Wonderful, I've answered your questions. I'm leaving."

Roy turned and exited the interview room. He paused, "I'm going to leave the city, is that okay with you?"

Ironwood stood up "No, we are closing our borders as of next week, I can't allow you to leave."

Roy bit back a retort and stormed out of the office. Making his way back through the hallways of Ironwood's office he exited the building back onto the city streets. where he waved down a taxi and went home. Walking through the door he dodged Sierra's questions with excuses of fatigue until he made it inside his room and shut the door.

Removing his suit, Roy tumbled into bed. Since relating the tale to Ironwood he felt like a weight had been lifted of his shoulders. For the first time in awhile he slept soundly, without dreams, at peace.

 **EEEYYYY We Finished the flashback section! From now on the story will be set in around the middle of volume 4 of the official RWBY Canon. What did you guys think of the Flashback section? did you like it, did you not like it? Let me know!**

 **Until next we meet!**

- **Ar3mRising.**


	36. Chapter 35: Journey East

Roy awoke the next morning feeling refreshed.

Rising quickly, He got dressed and walked down the stairs. Sierra was already up, standing by her coffee maker and dressed in her crisp white Atlas uniform.

"Good morning Ms. Summerfell!" Roy said brightly.

Sierra groaned and poured herself a steaming cup of coffee, "What's got you in such a good mood this morning?"

Roy grinned as he filled his canteen at the sink. "Simple, I think I've solved the problem with the Atlas border."

Sierra stopped pouring and slowly slid the pot back into the machine. "Oh? How?" she asked.

Roy chuckled, "Let's just say I've got friends in high places."

Sierra turned and smiled sadly, "Well I'm going to miss you."

Roy sobered up a bit, "I know, I'll miss you too."

Sierra blinked hard and set her mug on the counter. "I wonder why it's so hard this time." she said with a watery grin.

Roy smiled softly, "What?" he asked.

"Saying goodbye." Sierra sniffed and hugged him tightly.

Roy patted her back reassuringly, "It's just that the state of the world has changed. I'm not heading for school anymore, I'm heading to Mistral which is full of grimm and bandits. You don't need to worry about me Sierra. I'm like a broke friend, I just keep coming back."

Sierra wiped her eyes and smiled, "I'm gonna hold you to that Shiroi Arashi." She quipped.

Roy laughed, "I expect you will." he said.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Sierra gasped.

She ran up stairs to her room, taking the steps two at a time. Roy heard her rummaging around and a few minutes later, she came running back downstairs. She was holding something wrapped in an old blanket. Sweeping the blanket aside, she revealed the shining black plasteel of his old helmet and the black fabric of his old vigilante coat.

Roy reached out, almost reverently, and picked the helmet up. He placed it on his head and powered it on. The helmet let out a little hum as the electronics warmed up for the first time in two years.

"Do the lights still work?" he asked.

Sierra burst out laughing; Roy's voice had come out as a high pitched squeaky voice.

"The lights work fine, but you might want to readjust the voice modulator." She responded through her giggles.

Roy took the helmet off and fiddled with a switch on the inside. Slipping the helmet back on, he spoke again, "How about now?"

Sierra gave a triumphant thumbs up, "Yup, sounding deep and foreboding again."

Roy slipped the mask back off and tried the coat on. He was pleased to find that it fit almost perfectly still.

Sam snickered, "Haven't grown much have you?"

Roy fixed her with a glare, "All the growth went into my wisdom and experience" he grumbled.

Sam smiled and he hugged her again, "Don't worry," he said quietly, "I'll be back."

Sierra sniffed, "You'd better be." she whispered.

Roy slid out of the hug and walked upstairs to fetch his things. Wanting to catch Sierra before she left, he hurried back into the kitchen to give her one last goodbye hug. Then, Roy turned and walked out of the kitchen, then the house. Making his way into the main city, Roy walked to the city's post office. He'd decided to mail his helmet to Mistral as he had no room for it in his bag and didn't want to wear it the whole trip.

After sending his package off and paying the shipping fee, he walked back to the hanger where "The Dusty Daydream" was docked. Aster was bent over near the front of the boat rummaging among some rope. Her back or rather her rear was to Roy when he walked up. Averting his eyes, Roy scanned the open sky and cleared his throat to get her attention.

Aster spun around, "Oh! Hiya Roy! Is there something I can do for you?"

Roy hid a grin, "Actually Aster...there is, I need to go to Mistral"

Aster played with her long ponytail thoughtfully, "That's a heck of a trip...it'll cost a bit more."

Roy nodded "As I expected. I'll pay you when we get there."

Aster grinned, "Sounds good, all aboard that's coming aboard!"

:

Roy stood on the bow of the Dusty Daydream, staring off into the clear blue sky. Atlas had vanished into the distance a while ago and it was just crystal blue water far below and not a shred of land in sight. Roy lowered his hood and let the wind ruffle his cat ears. The cold air nipped at his nose and eartips, turning the later a rosy pink.

"Huh, should've guessed you were a Faunus"

Roy almost fell over the side of the ship in surprise, the wind whistling in his ears had prevented him from hearing Aster's approach. He rushed to pull his hood back on as Aster leaned on the bow's railing,

"Relax shortstack I don't care, they're cute." She said.

Roy let the hood back down and once again let the wind tickle his ears. Aster chuckled at Roy's embarrassed reaction,

"Your ears are probably the biggest of your species that I've seen." she said.

Roy twitched his ears at her, "Really? I get them from my mom's side."

Aster snorted with laughter, "What was your dad like?" she asked.

Roy shrugged, "I don't remember, he wasn't around a lot and the last time I saw him was when I was 8."

Aster blinked, "Really? Was he a faunus too?"

Roy shook his head, "I asked my mom that once and she said no."

Aster nodded and stared out at the sky for a few minutes. Leaning her face on her hand, the smuggler smiled smugly at Roy, "Sooo, got any girls you're sweet on?"

Roy turned pink, "Yeah...I do."

Aster's eyes lit up and she slid closer, "Oh do tell! Details details details!"

Roy looked off into the wild blue yonder as he pictured Ebony's face. "She's the most beautiful creature I've ever met. She's a faunus, with a long fluffy cat tail. She has hair as black as a nevermore, her eyes are the color of the purest emerald and her lips are…." Roy trailed off and turned beet red, "Her name is Ebony." he finished.

Aster gave him a smug smile, "Ooh you got it bad, you guys do it yet?"

Roy blinked in surprise, "Do it?..No-."

Aster laughed, her sides quaking and tears streaming from her eyes. "I'm joking! Dust, you're gonna explode if I ask one more question about her."

She eventually quelled her laughter and settled back onto the railing.

"That eyepatch just for looks?" she asked, pointing toward his face.

Roy's ears swiveled backwards, "No...my eye's actually gone."

Aster fidgeted with her hands, "Oh..sorry kid, I didn't know."

Roy waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, I don't." he said.

Aster nodded, "Yeah, you seem to be used to it."

Roy shrugged, "As used to it as I can be, living without half my vision. I'm so lucky I have these," he pointed to his faunus ears, "They help me compensate for the lack of vision on that side."

Aster bit her lip slightly, "Come on, don't ask him that, it's probably racist!" Roy heard her mumble.

He rolled his eye, "You want to touch them, don't you?"

Aster nodded guiltily.

Roy let out a heavy sigh, "Fine, do it before I change my mind."

Aster looked as if he'd just given her permission to walk on water and she reached out, carefully but eagerly, toward his ears.

Suddenly, the Dusty Daydream bucked wildly, almost throwing Roy over the side. Roy frantically looked over the side to see a huge Nevermore rise up in front of the boat. Roy drew Μόνος and braced.

"Welp!" Aster exclaimed, "This could get messy!"

The Nevermore rose up in front of the Daydream's bow and let out a shriek that made all four of Roy's ears ring. He staggered sideways, disoriented and Aster bolted to the cockpit and slammed the ship to high gear. The Nevermore rolled sideways to avoid the ship's sharp metal front. Roy ran to the edge of the ship and looked down, the grimm had settled under the ship, which was far from comforting as it could rise up and tip the ship over at any moment.

He turned to the cockpit and saw Aster. She gripped the steering yoke, her face was pale but her eyes were full of an excitement that made him smile. He ran into the cockpit and set the lien he owed into Aster's lap. "Roy? What-"

He gave her a grin, "Thanks for the ride Aster!"

Running to the edge of the ship, Roy dove over the edge of the ship.

He fell, the wind whistling in his ears and the cold air biting into his cheeks. He landed on the back of the Nevermore and gripped its back feathers tightly. The giant bird bucked and dove in a desperate bid to unseat the Faunus on his back, but Roy doggedly hung on.

He was banking on the bird trying to return to its nest which would hopefully be in Mistral. It was a gamble, but a gamble he was willing to take. The bird seemed to calm down and it banked into a wide turn soaring away from the Dust Daydream. Roy watched the quaint vessel until it disappeared into the clouds then turned and settled his eyes on the horizon.

After what seemed like an hour of nerve wracking flight, Roy saw an emerald coastline come into view. He breathed a small sigh of relief, he was almost completely certain that the lush land beneath him was Mistral.

Time to try out my landing strategy, he thought.

He waited until the giant bird had flown lower over a patch of open ground then he rolled off its back and began free falling to the ground. Unslinging Μόνος from his side, he fired downward, chambering round after round, using the recoil to arrest his downward speed. He activated his semblance as he slammed into the ground, the impact rippled along his entire frame.

Swinging his foot into a tree, Roy watched it explode into a shower of splinters. As the kinetic energy drained from him, Roy's vision suddenly flashed red and he felt an impact slam into his back, sending him onto all fours. He scrambled back to his feet and spun in a circle scanning the surrounding countryside. No one was in sight and the only thing to be heard was the breeze through the trees. Roy suddenly became aware of how hard his heart was beating and stood for a moment, waiting for his heart to slow down. He looked at his arm and clenched his hand several times, everything seemed okay. He shook his head to clear it and moved forward across the field.

An hour later, a small village came into view. Small white houses with red brick roofs clustered together around a larger building in the center. Roy reached the dirt road that led to a small round archway. Next to the archway was a little wooden sign that read "Anjouyuki" in red carved letters. Upon reaching the arch, Roy passed through it and moved into the village.

It was market day and people bustled around stalls situated on both sides of the Main Street. Roy moved carefully through the stalls, perusing the different wares, nothing really catching his fancy.

He kept a hand resting lightly on Μόνος' pommel as he made his way to the large building in the center of the village. He'd done some research before coming to Mistral and found that it was good manners to introduce one's self to the village leaders when first arriving.

Walking through a set of double doors he was presented with a long walkway that led to a large chair behind a desk. Behind the chair, two flights of stairs led off to two doors on either side of the hall. The chair and desk were flanked by two guards carrying metal polearms.

Seated in the chair was a human male about 6' in height. He had dirty blonde hair and large scar stretching across his face. His eyes were a flinty blue and his face was creased like leather. As Roy approached the man stood. "Welcome to Anjouyuki stranger, what brings you to our small village?"

Roy bowed forward with his fist pressed into an open palm in a customary Mistrali greeting. "I'm simply a freelance huntsman on my way to Haven academy, I would appreciate a place to stay, just for the night"

The man nodded, "Of course, might I ask your name young man?"

Roy nodded, "Shiroi Arashi." he said.

"Ah a Mistrali name," the man said, "White Storm if I'm not mistaken."

Roy grinned, "Yes sir, my mother was originally from Mistral but I was born and raised in Atlas."

The man sat back down in the chair and steepled his fingers, "We will gladly give you a room Mr. Arashi, up the stairs to the right."

Roy nodded his thanks and took a step toward the staircase.

"Oh, one more thing," The man said,

Roy froze.

"If you would kindly remove your hood. We've been having faunus try to sneak through here lately."

Roy set his teeth and slowly slid the hood off of his head, revealing his cat ears. The warmth drained from the man's eyes.

"Get out of my town." He spat.

"But...I'm a huntsman…" Roy began.

"I don't care." the man growled, "You're a faunus and we don't want your kind here."

Roy was at a loss for words, "What have I ever done to you!?" he exclaimed.

The man leaned forward and pointed at Roy "Your kind are always making trouble." He growled, "A few months ago, The White Fang brought down one of our Huntsmen schools! Do I need a better reason? Now, get your filthy half human self out of my village."

Roy grit his teeth at the injustice. Turning briskly on his heel, he stormed out of the hall and out of the village.

That night, he slept on a small plateau overlooking the town. He hadn't brought a bedroll so he just sat against a tree and attempted to nod off. He finally fell asleep as the stars of deep night spread slowly across the sky.

 **Whew, This was a lot to do in a single chapter, it was a wild ride. I've got a lot more on the way and I can't wait to share it all with you.  
**  
 **Until next we meet!**

- **Ar3mRising.**


	37. Chapter 36: Warm Rain

Roy awoke the next morning to the creaking of the tree above him. His back was stiff, his joints were achy and he was in quite a bit of discomfort. He wasn't surprised; a night sleeping under a tree will do that to a person.

He gingerly got to his feet and winced as several audible pops sounded from his back as he straightened up. Rubbing his back woefully, Roy glanced up into the sky to see that a few dark clouds were drifting in from the south. The air was thick and hot, the left side of his head was aching slightly; a sure sign that rain was on the way.

Leaning down, he swept up his backpack and Μόνος, strapping the latter back onto his hip. Walking down the side of the plateau to the road, Roy continued heading east.

He felt the first drop of rain hit the tip of his right cat ear and flicked it lightly. He had no idea where the next town was and thus felt no need to hurry. He simply continued walking forward as the rain started to fall.

There came a moment when the smattering of drops seemed to stop; then the clouds unleashed their deluge onto the earth.

Roy stopped in his tracks; The rain pouring down was warm and strangely comforting. He turned and, stepping off the road. he walked into the open field to the right of the winding dirt path. He reached the middle of the field and allowed his knapsack to slip off his shoulder. Tilting his head upwards toward the sky, Roy allowed the rain to fall onto his upturned face.

The rain poured down, drenching his clothes and hair. The black fur on his faunas ears collected water like a washrag and made their presence all the more noticeable. Roy allowed himself to fall backwards into the grass of the field and lay staring upward into the grey expanse of the sky. As he lay there, the sun broke through the clouds, but the rain continued to fall unabated. The sunlight hit the falling water and the light was spread across the field in a deep rich gold.

The beauty of the afternoon took Roy's breath away. Sun showers had been rare in Atlas and Roy was grateful whenever he had the chance to experience one. He wished he could stay there, in that meadow, for ages. But he needed to keep going; it wouldn't do to be caught out in the wilds after dark.

Standing up and retrieving his backpack, Roy walked back to the road and continued east. Eventually, the rain slowed and gradually stopped. The clouds retreated and the sun once again shone brightly down onto him.

Roy reached up and lightly gripped one of his faunus ears. Giving it a light squeeze, he wrung as much of the water out of it as he could and then repeated the step with the other ear. Reaching into his pack, Roy retrieved an extra shirt to use as a towel and dried off his hair and his faunus ears. He paid extra attention to his faunus ears as he didn't feel like getting an ear infection while on the road; ear infections in ears the size of his were very unpleasant. Wringing the shirt out, he stashed it back in his backpack and continued walking east.

The sun had sufficiently dried him off and left him feeling warm, at least physically. Mentally, now that the distraction of the rain had gone, the loneliness had begun to set in. It was just him and the wind here in Mistral, with only the occasional village to break up the the solitude with brief beacons of humanity.

A sign post along the road informed him that he was 10 miles from next village. Civilization promised the possibility of a warm bed and warm food so he quickened his pace slightly, eager to reach the village before nightfall.

As he passed the five mile marker, he saw, approaching him from the direction he was traveling, a odd sight. Two figures limping toward him at a very slow pace.

As they drew near, Roy was able to make out a woman supporting a man who was bleeding from a wound above his brow. The woman was struggling to keep the man, who was at least a head taller than she, upright and as they came closer to Roy, the woman's grip finally gave out and the man started to pitch forward.

Roy leapt forward and supported the man.

"Oh thank the Gods!" the woman exclaimed, "I didn't think there was any huntsmen this far away from Haven."

Roy helped the man over to a nearby tree and gently set him down, leaning him against the trunk.

"What happened?" Roy asked, motioning to the man's wound,

"Grimm." the woman said fearfully, "They attacked the village and took it over. That was a day ago."

Roy blinked in surprise, "Have you been walking all night?" he asked.

The woman nodded as she slowly walked over to the man's side and sank to her knees by his side, "Yes, I had to get my husband away from the village." she said, gently dabbing at her husband's brow with her sleeve. "We were the last ones living in Oniyuri, everyone else left a while back."

Roy turned his head to look down the road. In the distance he could just faintly make out the white walls of Oniyuri in the distance.

Taking his pack off, Roy rummaged around until he came up with a handful of provisions and another of his spare shirts. Taking his canteen, Roy soaked the spare shirt and pressed it against the man's head wound,

"Keep pressure on it," he said to the woman, "It should stop bleeding eventually."

Handing the rations to the woman, he replaced his backpack and straightened up. "I'll go check it out." he assured her. "When you can, keep heading back that way," he pointed the way he came. "There's a village about 20 miles that way."

The woman nodded her thanks and returned to tending to her husband. Turning toward the village, Roy took off at a brisk jog toward the city gates.

He slowed as he reached the entrance of Oniyuri. Stealing inside, he scanned the wide lane that ran down the center of the town. Houses, half finished and skeletal, stood in neat rows along both sides of the paved main street. Roy walked slowly from house to house, scanning the interiors briefly before moving on.

A flash of red in the street caught his eye and Roy moved over to investigate. What he found was a small doll, made to look like a small ursa in a red shirt. Roy picked it up and looked at it; the small bear reminded him of Paws, a small beowulf plushie his mother had made him when he was little.

Roy turned the bear over in his hands several times and eventually stashed it in his backpack. He didn't know why he was inclined to keep the bear, but some part of him couldn't stand the thought of leaving it there to rot.

As he straightened up, wiping dust from his knees, a loud thud came from an unfinished house situated behind him and across the street.

His faunus ears flicked in that direction, he put a hand on Μόνος' hilt and crept forward silently. As he set a foot on the wooden porch of the house, it creaked and groaned under his weight. Roy gritted his teeth, desperately willing the creaking to stop.

Reaching out, he slowly inched the door open to reveal a room shrouded in shadows. Roy's night vision cut through the darkness and cast everything in sharp relief.

A large table lay in the center of the room, cracked down the center, the wood gouged and scratched from numerous claws. If there had been any chairs in the room, they had been turned to splinters over time. A large tapestry hung on the back wall of the room, depicting a man and a woman, they appeared to be floating above a city, their bodies encased in a white nimbus of energy. Three large claw marks rent the woven threads directly through the man's torso, but the woman was surprisingly left untouched.

Roy stepped further inside, keeping his hand on his weapon as he did. A scratching noise coming from a door at the back of the room startled him and he forced himself not to make a surprised exclamation.

He crept toward the door and carefully placed his hand on the knob. He breathed in and gave the knob a brisk twist.

 **Author used cliffhanger...it's super effective!**

 **Sorry XD. This was a fun chapter to write, playing off of my love of sunshowers and warm rain. If this chapter gave you the warm and fuzzies, I'm glad! We're getting super close to 3,000 views!  
Until next we meet.  
**  
 **-Ar3mRising.**


	38. Chapter 37: Blood On The Flagstones

The door exploded outward in a flurry of black fur and teeth.

Roy was knocked backwards onto the wooden floor, bashing his elbow as he came down. He looked up to see an alpha beowolf standing over him; its eyes glowing like coals and saliva dripping from it's gaping maw.

It raised its head and let out a roar, shaking the rafters with the force of the sound. The alpha then raised its paw and swung downwards. Roy swiftly rolled to the side as the paw smashed into the floor where he'd just been, reducing the floorboards to slivers.

Scrambling up, Roy rushed for the door. Behind him, He heard the beowolf move and activated his aura, bracing himself.

The beowolf dealt him a blow that sent him flying out the front door of the house. He landed on his feet and skidded backwards, drawing Μόνος in the same movement. His semblance had absorbed the main impact and he could feel his aura thrumming with the energy. The Alpha slunk from the entrance of the house, regarding Roy with an almost haughty look.

"Sorry I interrupted your nap!" Roy called.

The Alpha reared back and howled, the sound making Roy's ears ring. He covered his ears and gritted his teeth; The howl seemed to echo through his very bones and made him want to curl into a ball. Then he heard them; answering howls, ringing from all over Oniyuri.

Multiple thuds and scrapes sounded all around him and he turned, watching as beowulves emerged from under houses and inside the different dwellings, slowly moving toward their alpha.

About 15 grimm slowly surrounded him, eyes glowing and teeth bared. An icy claw gripped Roy's heart as he took in his situation.

Beowulves fought with extra ferocity in the presence of their alpha and he'd never faced a pack this big before. His lack of sleep the past few weeks made him far more vulnerable, Roy knew he was about to be fighting for his life at less than his best and it scared him to death.

With a roar, a lone beowolf suddenly charged him, he swept Μόνος up, lighting quick, and cleaved through the beast's body from hip to shoulder. The two halves of the beast fell behind him with an unpleasant thud.

Another grimm charged and he allowed it to get a hit in. He absorbed the blow, swung out with his fist and caught the beowolf in the underside of its jaw, sending it flying backward with a broken neck.

The remaining beowulves, learning from their fellows' demise began do attack in pairs.

Two flew toward him claws bared, mouths open, revealing glistening teeth. He dodged one and stabbed upward catching the second in the chest, the first beowolf spun around swiftly swinging its paw into Roy's stomach. He activated his semblance just in time. He absorbed the swipe and kicked out with his right leg. His foot connected with the beowolf's chest and it slumped backward with a gurgle.

Roy pulled the trigger on Μόνος' handle and the blade segmented with a sharp *Ting* noise, shifting into its bladewhip form. He lashed out and hooked another beowolf around the neck. He yanked the beast closer and slammed his other fist into its chest. He felt ribs fragmenting under his fingers and his hand sink into the beast.

As he pulled his hand free, what felt like a punch slammed into his face.

Blood flew from his mouth and drops of blood flecked the flagstones. He struggled to recover and another beowolf clamped his jaw around Roy's forearm. He pulled and the sleeve tore off his coat, leaving him bare armed, apart from one of the bracers he was wearing. He swung Μόνος around and scythed through the beast's neck.

Yet another beowolf slammed into him from the side and latched onto to his sword arm. His aura was so low that the beowolf's fangs clashed against his bracer. He twisted his arm around and went to flip Μόνος from his trapped hand to his free hand. He fumbled and the sword fell to the cobblestones with a clang.

"Shit" he hissed.

The beowolf swung him around and threw him 6 feet away.

He landed harshly, bouncing and skidding on the cobblestones. He scrambled upright and whirled around to face the remaining beowulves.

The beasts were growing restless, pawing at the ground, licking their chops and snapping at him. One lone beowolf, bolder than its fellows, began to venture forward and Roy readied himself.

A loud bark came from the alpha, halting the smaller grimm in its tracks. The giant wolf had been sitting to the side, watching the fight. Apparently it wanted to deal with this intruder itself.

The alpha walked down the steps of its house with a terrifying grace. Even on all fours, it was nearly 2 ½ feet taller then Roy was and now that he looked at it closer, there was a evil beauty about it.

Roy quickly scanned the ground for Μόνος. The ring of beowulves had reformed and just beyond their clawed feet, he saw the red glint of Μόνος' blade. Cursing his clumsy hands, he reached under his backpack where the plasma bayonet hung in it's sheath and drew it, twirling the bayonet around as he waited for the giant beowolf to make the first move.

The beast swung its massive paw at Roy and he dodged to the side avoiding the swipe. He slashed the beast's arm and opened a small gash, foul smelling smoke seeping from the wound. The alpha roared and swung the wounded arm again in a ferocious backhanded swipe that caught Roy in the chest, sending him tumbling across the cobblestones.

He landed in a kneeling position and pushed off the ground with one foot. He shot toward the alpha and swung the bayonet around, stabbing at the beast's face. The beowolf blocked the blade, taking it through the paw. To Roy's horror, the beowolf snapped its hand shut on the weapon.

The alpha swung Roy around by the hand and slammed him into the street. Roy was forced to release his hold on the bayonet. the blue chord handle to slip from his fingers.

The alpha regarded the blade lodged in its paw and used its teeth to yank it out, tossing the blade far out of Roy's reach. The faunus slowly got back to his feet and clenched his fists, left with no other options but to take the beast on weaponless.

Charging forward, he launched several punches into the alpha's torso. It was like punching a brick wall. Unfortunately, the punches left him vulnerable for a single second and the alpha swiped out, it's claws scoring several deep cuts along his ribs. Roy sucked in his breath at the sudden pain and jumped backwards away from the beowolf.

Clapping a hand to his side he felt blood drip between his fingers.

 _This isn't good._ he thought.

With open wounds like this, the fight became a race against the clock; beating the alpha before he collapsed from blood loss now became the priority. He straightened back up and charged in again, swinging his foot into the Alpha's face with a resounding crack. The beast actually faltered slightly, shaking its head as if to clear it. It recovered and swung its large paw at Roy.

He dodged the alpha's swipe and threw a palm strike into the beast's throat. Unfazed, the alpha struck out with its boney head and connected with Roy's face. His head snapped back and nose began gushing blood. Stars danced across his vision, disorienting him as the alpha sank its teeth into his shoulder.

The grimm lifted him bodily and tossed him across the square, where he landed hard, the impact causing all the air in his lungs to leave him. Roy wheezed and gasped desperately trying to regain the air he'd lost. He started to rise but a clawed foot slammed into his back pinning him to the ground.

Gripping Roy's hood with its teeth, the beowolf sank its claws deep into the young faunus' back. Roy cried out as warm blood flooded across his back, the pain overcoming his resolve. The beowolf slowly dragged its claws down Roy's back opening up deep bloody valleys in his flesh.

Roy almost fainted from the excruciating pain and scrabbled weakly against the unyielding cobblestones of the street. The Alpha released him and backed away, awaiting its foe's next move.

Roy lay in the street, his mind racing furiously He had to end it before he lost his remaining strength due to blood loss. He struggled to his feet and turned to face the beowolf. His aura flickered weakly back into existence and a risky plan began to form in the back of his mind.

His aura was dangerously low but if he allowed the alpha to overload it, it might give him enough force to defeat the wolf.

If this plan backfired, Roy would be dead.

Either way the fight would be over.

Roy stood up, shoulders slumped and blood dripping off of him. "Hey big guy let's go!" He yelled at the alpha, "Come take a bite if you think you're big enough!"

The alpha growled and charged. Raising its claws, the beowolf slashed down, intending to break Roy's neck. The faunus allowed the beowolf's attack to connect and felt the energy thrumming to a fever pitch. He seized the beowolf by the fur of its throat and drawing back his arm, plunged his hand into the Alpha's chest.

He could feel the internal organs giving way under his hand as it plunged deep into the beast's heart. His aura finally overloaded, exploding outward from the arm buried in the beowolf. The blast left a large hole in the beowolf's torso and the grimm let out a whimper, sliding to its knees.

The beast was now on Roy's level and he watched the glimmer fade from its wild orange eyes. Withdrawing his hand, Roy allowed the beast to slide the rest of the way to the ground with a thud. He stumbled back and sank to his knees, his head light from blood loss. "W-who's...th...the alpha n-now?" he asked weakly. The remaining beowulves regarded him and then, in unison, turned and retreated out of the village. Roy slowly slumped from his knees to the ground, his body broken and bleeding.  
"Help…" he called weakly.

But no answer came, the only sound that greeted him was the sound of the wind whistling eerily through Oniyuri.

 **Damn, Kitty's got claws. XD I loved writing this fight, it was a challenge but I think it turned out okay. I'm back in the proverbial editing saddle! expect more chapters on the way.  
Until next we meet!**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	39. Chapter 38: Unexpected Meetings

Roy lay in the middle of the abandoned town, surrounded by beowolf corpses. He opened his eyes and groaned; it was hard to breathe lying face down in the dirt but he couldn't turn over.

The claw wounds stretched down his back, the blood soaking through the ragged fabric of his jacket. His arm was broken from the strain of his aura overloading.

Although both injuries were making it excruciating painful to move, he attempted to lever himself up. He managed to raise himself 5 inches but the pain overwhelmed his determination to get up and he sank back onto the dirt.

 _This is not good,_ he thought, _At this rate, I'll die of blood loss before I die of exposure_.

As if fate was raising a metaphorical middle finger, he heard a low, menacing growl. Looking to his right, he saw a lone beowolf crouched with its hackles raised.

The grimm was older, with scars covering its flanks and long muzzle. "Lone wolves" like this one followed behind the bigger packs, staying out of the fight, then moving in to feed on their leftovers.

Looking slightly to the left of the beast, Roy saw Μόνος, lying where she had fallen, completely out of his reach.

"Shit" he thought.

Looking to his right, he saw the plasma bayonet lying 5 feet away. He started to crawl towards it, pulling himself along the ground as the pain in his back spiked.

The beowolf let out a roar and charged, opening its hungry jaws to tear Roy's throat open. The faunus seized the bayonet as the beowolf lept on him; the full weight of the grimm crashing down on him. He buried the bayonet up to its hilt in the beast's neck, letting out a primal yell as he twisted the blade cruelly into the beast's jugular.

The weight of the beowolf suddenly vanished and Roy looked up to see a 7'2" individual hoisting the dead beast off him. A second later, the individual was joined by three other figures.

A deep female voice penetrated the thick fog obscuring his consciousness, "Not bad for a kid."

A smooth male voice spoke up, "He's injured...quite severely at that."

Another female voice, this one cold as ice interjected, "We don't have time for this-"

A lower raspy voice cut off the icey female voice "Enough. Autumn, Rachel, scout out the area. Can you patch him up Henry?"

Roy watched the female figures walk away as the one named Henry knelt besides him, carefully examining his wounds.

"I can try," Henry said, "But I'll need to disinfect him first."

The raspy voiced individual spoke again, "Let's move him someplace else." the raspy voiced man leaned down and talked into Roy's ear, "Hey kid you hear me? We're going to move you, best grit your teeth, it's going to sting a bit."

Roy felt hands grip him, carefully yet firmly under the arms and he braced himself. The wave of pain that lanced through his back and arm as the two men lifted him caught him by surprise with how excruciating it was and he cried out.

The raspy voiced individual cursed slightly under his breath, "I told you to grit your teeth kid! Do I have to knock you out?"

Henry spoke quickly, "knock it off Czarum, you knock him out and he might not wake up"

The two men fell silent as they carried Roy to a small clearing just outside of Oniyuri.

Laying Roy down in the grass, Henry turned to Czarum and held his hand out in an expectant manner. Czarum gave him a confused look.

"Your flask" Henry said and Czarum's confused look turned to one of indignation,

"you can't be seri-" he started to say.

"I'm dead serious mate" Henry said, cutting him off with a smirk. Czarum frowned, clearly unhappy, but he begrudgingly handed his flask to Henry.

"You owe me a drink kid." he said.

Roy groaned, "put it on my t-tab."

He suddenly remembered he had left Μόνος and his pack in Oniyuri. He grabbed Czarum's pant leg, "M-my sword," he stuttered, "My sword and pack are back in that town...please"

Czarum laid Μόνος and the pack down in front of Roy, "You mean this beautiful thing?"

Roy nodded and reached a trembling hand forward. Grasping Μόνος tightly, he let out a sigh of relief.

"That's one fine blade you got there," Henry said as he softly probed the wounds on Roy's back. "And that's coming from a weapon smith. You should take pride in it."

Czarum nodded in agreement, "Indeed, this blade must have a history behind it. Say kid, did you forge it?"

Roy winced and nodded, "Her" he corrected Czarum, "And yes, though it actually doesn't have much history to it; I switched weapons last year. I dropped her during the fight; I haven't perfected my technique yet." He paused to stifle a groan has Henry probed a particularly sensitive wound on his back, "her name is Μόνος"

Czarum repeated the name to himself, "Μόνος: The one or The only. A bit cheesy don't you think?"

Henry softly patted Roy's shoulder, "Forgive him kid, he has a thing for words and meanings, one of his few redeeming features"

Czarum unsheathed his weapon, "This here is Kiri, forged him back when I was a kid at Sanctum. Its name means one that cuts or one that severs." Czarum trailed off as his mind turned to memories of days gone by.

"Don't mind him," Henry said, rolling his eyes. "He rambles if he can't drink."

Roy nodded toward the flask, "disinfectant?" he asked.

Henry winked as he took a couple sneaky swigs of the contents.

"I saw that damn it!" Czarum interjected.

A second later, Roy's back erupted with an awful burning sensation as Henry poured the contents of the flask over the wounds on his back. He dug his fingers into the turf and clenched his teeth, trying desperately not to cry out again.

He turned his head to glare at Henry with his single blue eye. His forehead was dripping with sweat, his jaw was aching from clenching it so hard and his back was quivering.

"You could have given me more warning than that." he growled.

Henry chuckled and set the flask in front of Roy, "At least you're alive, here drink it off." Czarum made a tutting noise and Henry shot him a look, "Drop it. Anything on comms?"

Czarum shook his head, "Nothing; they're probably still scouting out the area."

Henry nodded and turned back to Roy, "Don't pass out on me kid," he said, "You're in the hot seat now."

Roy pushed the flask back toward Henry, "I...I don't drink…"

The flask seem to vanish from the ground, "Good choice kid, it's awful for your health." Czarum said, gulping greedily at the flask.

Henry facepalmed then turned back to Roy, "Spill it kid, everything we need to know."

Roy nodded, "Okay, taking off my hood would be a good start."

Czarum pulled Roy's hood back and Roy allowed his cat ears to stand up. With a flick of his head, he shook his hair out of his face, revealing his eyepatch and facial scars.

"You've got quite a talent kid," Czarum said, "You need a bit more polish, but you show promise."

Henry nodded in agreement. "Moving on to the main point, who are you and what are you doing all the way out here?"

Roy cleared his throat, "My name is Shiroi Arashi, I was on my way to Mistral to find my mother. She moved there from Atlas, we used to live there before...I left for Beacon Academy." He could almost see the question forming in their minds, "I didn't go to Atlas Academy because it was too stiff and formal for my taste." he finished.

The two females returned and removed their cloaks.

"Coast is clear." The one with the pixie cut said.

"Nothing much to report." The woman with tiger stripes finished.

Henry pointed at Rachel, the 7'2" hulking giant of a woman with the tiger stripes, "Don't worry kid. We're not biased, we our own cat girl." he quipped, "Her name is Raecat, sorry, Rachel and the shorter one is Autumn."

"I told you not to use that nickname" Rachel grumbled.

Czarum rested his head on his hands "Why are you lying?" he asked Roy.

The faunus blinked, "I…"

Czarum gestured with his hand, "You're not telling us the real reason you chose Beacon over Atlas, I want to hear it."

Henry laid a firm hand on his teammate's shoulder,"Czar" he said pointedly, "Roy can tell us what he wants to tell us."

Autumn did not look at Roy, choosing to stare out into the field instead.

"You're not a good liar kid. Believe me, it's what I do best." she said coldly.

"Enough" Henry said "I'm outvoted Shiroi, We need the truth."

Roy cursed inwardly. He would have liked to keep to himself, but now he had to resign himself to telling the truth if he wanted to survive.

"Can you put me in a more comfortable position?" he asked, "The story I have to tell is a long one and I rather not tell it face down in the dirt."

Henry helped him to lean against a stump, ever gentle to his patient. Roy's arm flopped down, causing him to grit his teeth and groan. Henry quickly made him a splint and sling from some of Roy's extra clothes and some sturdy wooden sticks.

Czarum sat against a fallen log a few feet to Roy's left, holding Μόνος in his hands. Autumn continued staring out over the field, keeping watch of their surroundings. Rachel, clearly excited for the impending story, sat down beside Roy.

Henry adjusted Roy's position on the log so that all the weight wasn't directly on his wounds. "Better?" Henry asked,

Roy nodded, "Yeah."

He took a moment to gather his thoughts and, after a few deep breaths, he began to recount his tale.

 **This Chapter marks an extended flashback arc...Just kidding! I wouldn't do that to you twice in one book. This chapter was a lot of fun. it's actually a Roleplay session I did with a friend of mine: Nat Ragas. Henry, Czarum, Autumn and Rachel all belong to him. I hope you like them!  
School has been rough so far, woke up at 5 AM with a fever and it's only the second day of class. SADNESS!**

 **Anywho,**

 **Until next we meet!**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	40. Chapter 39: Friends in The Wild

"Bundle of sunshine and rainbows aren't we?" Czarum quipped as Roy finished the story, earning him a slap on the shoulder from Henry.

Roy hadn't told them the entire thing, choosing instead to tell a shorter and more condensed version with several, more personal, details missing. Rachel walked over to Roy, her eyes full of pity. Reaching out, she began to ruffle his hair gently,

"Poor kid," She said sadly, "can't catch a single break could ya?"

Autumn stayed silent, the look on her face saying she had expected such a story.

Czarum rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Quite the rough road kid, but it's not something we haven't heard. You'll be fine."

Roy shook his head, "I don't think I ever will be after what I've seen." Roy squeezed his eye shut, as if trying to blot out the memories he'd repressed for so long. He didn't like to think about his past, the nightmares he had were reminder enough. But he knew it was important to remember. Remember the pain, the loss and the new life that had been born from the wreckage of the old.

 _I just wish it didn't hurt so damn much._ He thought bitterly.

The four stood in awkward silence. Finally Henry reached out and placed a firm hand on Roy's shoulder "It's okay kid, everyone makes mistakes. You're not the only sinner here."

Czarum nodded in agreement, "You've had it rough kid, we can tell. But you can still get back to some semblance of normalcy. It may seem like a battle some days, but don't give up the fight."

Autumn looked pained at Czarum's words and He turned to look at her, their eyes met for a few fleeting seconds.

Rachel continued scruffing his hair, "I feel you kid. It ain't easy being a faunus with the wrong crowd."

Czarum grinned broadly "Hey, even sinners can change."

Henry chuckled, "That's true! I used to be an Atlesian weapon smuggler for Vacuan mercenaries."

Rachel looked away as if she was ashamed,"I was a savage, uncontrollable beast who raided Mistrali villages for food until these guys found me" she said quietly, shooting affectionate glances around the circle.

Autumn remained silent and Czarum coughed uncomfortably, "She was…well."

Autumn cut him off, "For the lack of a better term, a living weapon. I was a hitman for a short while. Let's just say I've been...hired by less than reputable clients, the White Fang included."

Henry gripped Roy's shoulder tighter, "You're a fellow sinner trying to do better, that makes you a friend"

Czarum took an over large swig from the flask, "I'll drink to that!"

Rachel spread her arms indicating the four of them, "Rowdy bunch of misfits wouldn't you say?" she said with a mile wide grin.

Roy smiled despite how he felt, "Yeah, it's nice to meet people like you way out here" he said.

As the day slowly turned to night Roy decided to stay with his new found companions for awhile. It was a decision based on a combination of their friendliness and his own survival instincts. He knew if he encountered any grimm, he would immediately be at a disadvantage. Staying with a group was the smart decision. The stars were bright and sparkled beautifully in the night sky. Roy had Henry help him limp to a spot they'd decided to use for camp that night.

"Thanks for the help" he mumbled sheepishly, Henry grunted in response. Roy sat back down and sighed, his wounds from earlier smarting from the movement.

Henry let out a breath, "Hoo, you're heavier than you look." Roy scowled, causing Henry to raise his hands defensively. "Sorry. Anyway, off to Mistral? You can tag along with us for awhile."

Autumn spoke up, "His wounds will slow us down." Rachel put her hands on her hips, giving Autumn an indignant look,

"We're two whole days ahead of schedule! I think we can afford the detour." she said in a disapproving tone.

"Oy!" Czarum cut them off "Let the kid answer before you nag at each other, okay?"

Roy spoke up "That would be nice, I need to see my mother as soon as I can, I haven't talked to her in five years. That wouldn't be a super bad thing if she knew that I was alive."

Czarum grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck, "Oof, that's rough. Mistral is along the way, so we can probably take you as far as the capital's outskirts"

Rachel nodded, "We're headed farther north." she explained.

Roy looked puzzled, "What's farther north of Mistral?" he asked.

Pulling his bag toward him he took out his map, a handmade, accurate thing of beauty he'd bought in Patch, what seemed like ages ago. He spread the map out in front of everyone so they could take a look. He pointed north of Mistral,"Besides Argus, there isn't much up there except snow, ice, rock and a whole lot of water."

Henry looked at his companions, "Not necessarily..." he said tentatively. "That information is classified," Autumn hissed.

Rachel threw her hands up, "Oh come on! We owe the kid some honesty on our part."

Henry gave Autumn an apologetic look, "She has a point Autumn" he said. Czarum stepped up to explain. "There are several caves beneath the waters. We have reason to believe all of them are connected too."

Roy arched an eyebrow, "Sounds intriguing and none of my business."

He shifted slightly and groaned as a line of pain zinged its way through him. his aura hadn't started healing him and he just wanted to sleep and regain it as soon as possible.

Looking at Czarum he motioned to Μόνος, "May I have her back please?" Czarum looked slightly saddened to relinquish the sword, but in the end handed her gently back with a smile. "Of course, Here ya go"

Roy heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see Autumn standing behind him,

"We'd appreciate your discretion on this regard." she stated in a very businesslike manner. He nodded, "You have my word, I won't breathe a word of this to anyone."

Sitting back down, Roy shivered. The night was growing colder and the coat he was wearing had been nearly reduced to rags by the grimm during the last encounter.

The team offered him an extra blanket and prepared a light supper which they gladly shared with him. Rachel volunteered to take first watch and the rest of them settled down for the night. The awoke early the next morning and began to pack up the camp.

Suddenly Autumn and Czarum's heads snapped south in unison. Their eyes were cold as steel, as if sensing something from a distance. "That's not good." Autumn growled.

Roy's ears swiveled in the direction the two were looking, "What's not good? I can't hear anything, it's quiet." he gripped Μόνος' handle tightly, readying himself for whatever disturbance was headed their way.

"It's still out of earshot, even for you, but it's there kid." Czarum said, "Something old, something powerful, something born from the negativity of war."

Rachel grabbed her weapon and Henry stood defensively beside Roy. Autumn turned to Roy "Have you ever killed before, kid?"

Roy didn't much care for the morbid curiosity he sensed in Autumns tone, "no" he gritted out. He was more worried then he let on, his back had just formed scabs and ached something awful. Despite this, he sank into his ready stance, Μόνος held ready, faunus ears flattened backwards and eyes fading from blue to turquoise as he readied his semblance.

Czarum put out a cautioning arm, "Calm down kid, it hasn't noticed us yet. Everyone keep it low key, it'll pass us if it's not interested."

Henry put his arm around Roy's shoulder and nodded to him with a soft smile. Rachel steadied her breathing obviously trying to control her excitement.

"If you've killed or someone has tried to kill you before kid, then you should know the feeling." Autumn said, "The feeling of something far greater than yourself, an existence who could kill you in an instant." She held her blade, hands trembling. With fear or excitement, Roy couldn't tell.

"They call it the Pantera," Czarum explained, "Grim born from the carnage of the Great War. It is believed to have chased down Mistrali soldiers from Vale all the way back to Anima. 50 Hunters set out...only 8 returned, 6 of which were permanently disabled. It didn't even hunt them down, it just appeared and started chowing down on them."

Henry chewed his lip, "This is a fight we can't win." he said "We can't run either. If we run, we give it a reason to chase us"

Rachel was taking deep breaths trying to calm herself, "If we fight.. we die." she whispered.

Roy shivered as he felt a bone gnawing cold engulf his limbs. He'd heard of the Pantera before but, like most youth in Remnant, thought they were just boogeymen to scare young ones to do good. He heard a rattling sound and looked in the direction it came from, it was Μόνος, his hand was shaking so badly that the sword was shaking in its sheath. he squeezed his hand tightly willing the shaking to stop.

"Hey," he heard Autumn say, "Embrace your fear, make it work for you."

Henry's gaze darted around, "Sage advice, but I'd appreciate better intel"

Autumn's words brought to memory something his mentor used to say, "In fear there is weakness, in acceptance there is strength, Roy if you stay afraid your whole life you will never be able to move on and grow, but if you accept that you are afraid and surpass your feelings, that is when you become stronger." Roy's hands stopped shaking as the memories of his old friend passed through his mind and he looked over to Czarum, ready to hear the man's report.

"It's still drifting towards our location." Czarum said.

Henry nodded, "Well, that's some good news at least."

Rachel shot Henry an indignant look, "How the hell is that good news!?" She blurted out.

Henry placed his hand on her arm to calm her, "It's drifting, if it'd seen us it would've just jumped to our location." He stated.

Czarum pointed at Roy, "The boy is still injured. What do you suggest we do?" Henry gave Czarum a look, "There can't be injured amongst people running for their lives. If we run, we commit to it." He looked questioningly at Roy, "You think you can run kid?"

Roy clipped Μόνος onto his back to free up his moment. He winced as the sword bumped the cuts on his back, which were throbbing. He didn't trust the fresh scabs that had developed but, it couldn't be helped. "Lead the way." he said.

Henry grinned, "Autumn, Rachel...stick with the kid. Plot our course and alert us through comms. Czarum and I will be 10 minutes behind you guys."

Autumn nodded "Got it"

"Steer clear of any villages until we're a good distance from the Pantera." Henry continued, "We can't risk passing through one with this thing on our tail."

Rachel nodded, "Got it"

Ready to put their leader's plan into action, Autumn, Rachel and Roy moved forward into the forest. An uneasy feeling hovered above them as they tried to navigate through the different plants and trees. After a bit of a walk, they reached a fork in the road. Rachel grinned at Roy, "You're up kid, You're the one with the map after all, and our resident Mistralian decided to play bait."

Autumn sighed in exasperation "I'll take point while you decide on which route to take."

Roy took off his backpack, unbuckled the strap that held it shut and began to slide the map out of the main storage area. as he did the map dislodged another small piece of paper, the small 5x8 square fluttered to the ground and Roy quickly stooped to pick it up. He forgot about his back scabs. Pain ripped into his back as the scabs tore and he shoved the his hand into his mouth, biting down to keep from crying out.

He tasted iron and when he pulled his hand away crimson droplets were running down his hand from two bite wounds on either side of the meaty part of his thumb and dripping off his fingertips. He was angry now. He hated being the invalid, he always had. He tried to reach the paper without bending over, but this proved impossible. Rachel picked the photo up for him. As she tried to hand it to him she ruffled his ears again.

"Pain can be your friend," she said. "Czarum always told me that. Never really understood what he meant; but every time I broke a bone or got done in hard, Czarum always said; "Grit your teeth. Breathe. And tell yourself : Pain is your friend!"" Rachel grinned sheepishly, "He would always tell me to figure it out for myself. Thing is.." She chuckled, "I'm not really that smart."

Roy couldn't help but smile, "I can't take the photo back right now." he showed her his hands palms up. He'd clutched his injured hand which had left both of his hands bloodstained unable to touch both the picture and the map.

 _Gods damn it._

he thought.

He grit his teeth, "Autumn," he forced out, "Could you get the map out of my bag?"

Autumn muttered something that sounded like "Excess baggage." to herself as she moved over to where Roy was. She took the map from the bag uncaringly, causing Roy to wince in sudden pain. Taking the map, she stepped away from the two as she planned their route.

Turning to Rachel, Roy said, "you should hold onto the photo for me until my hands are clean."

"Bandage his hands. He needs them in case we encounter Grim" Autumn said, Her words were cold yet distant. Her mind obviously preoccupied by the situation at hand.

Rachel scampered around to find a place to safely put the photo, finally setting it gently in her own pack. She then proceeded to bandage Roy's hand, first cleaning it, then covering it in soft cotton bandages. All the while apologizing for Autumn's behavior. "Sorry about Autumn kid. She's got... people issues. I don't know much of her past but she's always been cold. Only ever opens up to Henry and only ever obeys Czarum's instructions. She doesn't mind me much, doesn't bother me either. She does slip up from time to time, like earlier; she's.. Broken."

Roy winced as the bandages went on, "I don't blame her, after losing my place in the White Fang I would rage and rant. at myself, at Sierra and just at the world in general, the only reason I stopped was because Sierra wouldn't budge. She was just...there for me. keep being there for Autumn and she'll come around eventually."

His hands sufficiently bandaged, Roy gave Rachel a thankful smile and limped up to Autumn and asked her smugly "Wither do we fly oh carrier of the excess baggage?"

Autumn gave him a look that would've curdled milk. She returned her gaze to the map and proceeded to access her comms. "Updates?" she asked.

Czarum's voice crackled over the radio, "Not good. The Pantera's seen us but it's still not chasing us. Something feels...off, like it's waiting or something."

Autumn's brow furrowed, "Do you need back-up?" she asked. Henry's voice chimed in, "Negative, stick to the current plan. We're gaining ground on the Pantera."

"Dammit Henry!" Autumn snapped, her cold demeanor breaking for the first time.

"We'll be out of comms coverage." Czarum said, "Try and reach us every hour" The comm was indeed starting to fade to static.

"You both better not do anything stupid." Autumn growled, "We're making straight for the capital."

Czarum's voice fought through the static, "Copy that. Rendezvous at New Crossroads in 1 week. Ov….an….ut."

Static completely overtook the call, replacing the voices of the two men with a meaningless cacophony of noise.

 **Hoo Boy, this was a long one, posted the day after the Vol. 6 finale. What did you guys think of Volume 6? I thought it was lovely and a true testament to Mile's and Kerry's** **writing** **and the** **strength of the animation department. Here's to an even better Volume 7! (With lots of Atlas juiciness)**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	41. Chapter 40: A Chance Meeting

"Henry!" Autumn yelled into the comm, her voice breaking as her emotions broke through her icy exterior.

Roy turned away to give Autumn some privacy.

He knew how it felt, yelling into a communicator and wondering if he'd ever hear the other person's voice again.

The group was silent for a few moments.

"How far is New Crossroads from here?", Roy finally asked.

Autumn didn't look at him, it was obvious that she was trying to get a hold of herself, "At our normal pace… 3 days. With you? 5… at best."

Rachel sensed the subtle hostility in Autumn's words and began to shift her weapon into a hammer form. She quickly yanked Roy behind her.

"Don't you go getting any ideas Autumn," she said defensively, "I'll carry him if I have to!"

Roy wasn't frightened, but he wasn't stupid either. He knew Autumn was very, very close to killing him. He'd seen the same look in Ebony's eyes when Ronin was threatening him all those years ago. One that said, "No matter who is in my way, they're going down until I save him." He saw the same look in Autumn's eyes now and it unnerved him.

"I could run," he suggested,"how much would that shave off the travel time?"

Rachel shot him an indignant look, "Like hell you're running! If those wounds were closed, I'd consider it."

Autumn took a step forward, "Rae…move."

Rachel whirled back to face Autumn. "Zip it!" she snapped, "You've always been the, 'Kill now, ask questions later kinda gal' I'm not taking my chances. You either suck it up for the next 5 days or I will level the place with you as the crater!"

The tiger markings on Rachel's back glowed bright crimson and the ground beneath her cracked under the pressure she was exerting. Autumn was visibly threatened as she gripped her weapon.

"Who do you care about more?" She snapped "Your teammates or some nobody we just met!?"

Rachel's hand tightened on her weapon, "Some nobody? How can you say that? He's a person. What are we…" She motioned between herself and Roy, "...Not people anymore?!"

Autumn looked away, "Rachel calm down, that's not what I…"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Rachel snapped as she threw a punch at Autumn.

Roy couldn't see any other option. So, gathering his strength, he lept between Rachel and Autumn. Rachel's punch caught him square in the chest. Activating his semblance, he absorbed the force. The energy was roaring through his aura and making his ears buzz. Turning, he punched a nearby tree to siphon the kinetic force from his aura.

The tree disintegrated into sawdust at his touch and he let out a sigh of relief as the frantic buzzing in his ears ceased. Suddenly, an invisible force slammed into his face. He staggered backwards desperately trying to regain his balance. He felt something warm and sticky slide down his lip and trail down his chin. Placing his hand up to staunch his bleeding nose. He glared at the two women,

"Stop this!" he snapped, "I am definitely not worth a fight between you two!" Some blood had gotten in his mouth and he spit violently to clear it, "Look, we need to get to New Crossroads as quickly as possible. It's already going to take longer with me slowing you down and if we waste time arguing we'll never get there in time!"

His vision blurred a bit and he clutched his head, desperately tried to figure out what was wrong with him. These blows that he kept suffering every time he used his semblance were not normal. They'd never happened before and they were definitely a cause for concern.

There was a brief silence between the two Huntresses. After a few seconds, Rachel stopped glowing and Autumn let out a sigh. Rachel looked apologetically at Roy.

"That punch should've flattened a normal person. but, you didn't budge. Is that your semblance?" she asked, awestruck.

Roy nodded, still staunching his bleeding nose, "Yes," he said, "But the rebounds aren't normal."

Rachel grabbed Roy lightly by the collar and began to nag him like an overbearing mother. "I told you not to waste your aura you dummy!"

Autumn scoffed, "Come on," she said, "let's get going."

She turned around and froze. "Guys?" Roy and Rachel turned to see what Autumn was looking at.

A woman, previously unnoticed by the trio, stood blocking Autumn's path. She wore traditional mistrali combat clothes and a white mask on her face that reminded Roy of an animal skull. Her left hand rested on the hilt of a sword strapped to her waist in a large circular sheath. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but you won't be going anywhere." she said, in a condescending tone.

Autumn backed away and placed herself between the woman and her two companions. "You and what army?" she snarled.

Roy's faunus ears flicked backwards under his hood as he heard a sound coming from the bushes behind him. He turned his attention to Rachel; she hadn't appeared to hear the noise. He tapped Autumn on the shoulder,

"The one that's been slowly surrounding us." he said grimly.

The woman cocked her head slightly, "You've got good ears kid,"

She motioned and, from the surrounding forest, about twenty heavily armed humans materialized. Rachel, Autumn and Roy turned their backs to each other to better survey the crowd around them,

"We don't have much money," Rachel growled, "and we'll die before we part with our weapons."

The woman was silent for a couple seconds, then scoffed, "Please, we don't want your money or your weapons. We just want the boy."

Autumn and Rachel turned to look at him, hoping for an explanation. But Roy was just as confused as they were,

"Why me?" he asked.

The woman chuckled dryly. "Why? Maybe it's all the grimm you killed back in that village, we could use a man with your skills in our tribe."

Roy walked forward until he was facing the woman.

"What if I don't want to come?" he asked nonchalantly.

The woman drew her sword and flicked it under his chin, mere inches from his neck. Autumn and Rachel made as if to move forward, but Roy motioned them to stay back.

"Then we'll slaughter the two girls and take you anyway," the woman said coolly.

Roy struggled to keep his face passive, "I guess I don't have much of a choice then."

The woman chuckled dryly, "No...You really don't."

Roy sighed, "Fine I'll come quietly, IF..." he stressed the word, "You let these two go without any trouble."

Rachel grabbed the back of his ragged coat, "What the hell are you doing?! We can fight!" she hissed in his ear.

"You'd lose, there's about twenty of them surrounding us." he hissed back, "On the bright side, this gives you guys a chance to get to New Crossroads faster."

The woman thought for a moment, "you have yourself a deal." she said carelessly.

Rachel looked pleadingly at Autumn, but she avoided her gaze, "If it's what he wants, we can't stop him."

Rachel grasped Roy's arm,

"Roy...please," she begged, tightening her grip in desperation. Roy gently removed his arm from her grip and walked forward. The woman flicked her chin at the people behind Autumn and Rachel. They slid aside, opening a gap that led into the forest. Autumn nodded at Roy, then turned and slid into the trees. Rachel waved forlornly at Roy then followed her companion.

"You made the right choice, boy," the woman said.

Roy turned to face her, "I wasn't aware I actually had a choice here." he said sullenly as the woman slid her helmet off of her head.

Red eyes in a pale, beautiful face greeted him. The woman's hair was a deep black that matched the black beowolf fur that trailed down her back.

"You didn't. I just like reminding people how helpless they are." she said, glancing down her nose at him. "My name is Raven, I'm leader of this tribe."

The look of pure contempt in her eyes made one of Roy's cat ears twitch from nerves causing his hood to move slightly. Raven cocked her head and used her sword tip to slide his hood off. The last rays of the setting sun cast his faunus features into sharp relief and Raven smirked, "Look what we have here everyone...a stray cat. I think he needs a home, don't you?"

Laughter rippled around the circle of people. Raven narrowed her eyes. "Wait….those ears….and that eye color...do you know a woman named Sharon Arashi?"

Roy's eyes went wide; how did this bandit know his mother's name? "Yes, I'm her son." he said.

Raven raised an eyebrow, "Really? Did she ever tell you about me?" Roy shook his head and Raven scoffed "No, I doubt she did, come, I'll tell you the story once we reach our camp"

Sheathing her sword, Raven turned and led the way deeper into the forest. After about 30 minutes of walking, they reached a wooden stockade. Raven waved up to a man in the guard tower and the gates swung open with a creak.

Walking inside, Roy watched as people, ranging from children to adults, came to greet their chieftess back and to ogle at the newcomer. Roy hunched his shoulders and and raised his hood again.

"Don't hide your face," Raven said pointedly, "We don't care who you are here, criminal, innocent...faunus."

She cast an almost challenging look back at him, Roy straightened up and slid his hood back down, letting his ears stand up proudly. Raven nodded approvingly and walked gracefully toward a large tent at the head of the camp. A young woman in her mid-20s with short brown hair stood at the entrance. She had icy blue eyes and a tattoo of a bird on her left arm. She pointed her chin at Roy,

"Who's the kid?" she asked.

Raven walked up to the woman. "Vernal," she began, "This is Sharon Arashi's boy…" She paused, her eyebrows furrowing, "I just realized I neglected to ask your name."

Roy swayed unsteadily, the wounds on his back had begun throbbing painfully and sweat was beading his forehead. "It's...Sh..Shiroi..Arashi," he stammered, "But...I...I prefer..R..Ro.."

A wave a nausea struck him and he staggered to the wall of the stockade and threw up, the pain from his wound and standing longer then he should've finally driving his stomach over the edge. There wasn't much in his stomach as he hadn't eaten since the previous night. He dry-heaved three times and then was finished. Wiping his mouth he returned to stand in front of Raven and Vernal.

"Apologies" he said weakly, "I haven't been having the best time of it."

Vernal leaned over and whispered something to Raven who smiled, "Vernal wants to know why I'd bring the snot nosed kitten of an ex-tribe member back here, she also thinks I should put you out of my misery."

Roy smirked and reached back to grasp the hilt of the bayonet. He slung it and buried the point in the dirt in front of him, "Tell her if she wants a go she's welcome to it."

Vernal raised an eyebrow and Raven let out a quiet chuckle, "This is why Vernal." she said, almost proudly. "The boy is standing there, half dead from his wounds, yet he still has the nerve to challenge you, a foe he's never met, to come and "have a go." What does that say to you?"

Vernal looked Roy up and down, "It says he's either confidant and right or brave and stupid."

Roy's energy was flagging, "Wh...why..not all four?" he asked as he slid to his knees.

Raven motioned Vernal to help him up.

"Well Vernal?" she asked,

Vernal gently pulled Roy to his feet "I think he's got a death wish" she said turning, almost primly, away.

Raven motioned to a man in the front of the small crowd that had gathered "Go fetch the healer, send her to my tent"

The man took off jogging and Vernal helped Roy into the tent. Setting him down on a large red seating cushion, she motioned to his tattered jacket, "Take it off, and the shirt. The healer is going to need to get at your wounds."

Roy bit his lip and blushed slightly.

"Oh for…Here!"

Vernal crossed swiftly to him and none too gently took the jacket off him. Taking a knife from a small box sitting by the side of the tent, she cut the remains of his shirt and the bandages away.  
Raven walked around and looked his back up and down,

"Those hurt?" She asked indicating Roy's wounds,

"A bit." he grunted.

"Those look a bit big for beowolf claws." she said.

Roy started to turn, but the pain from his back made him stop. "That's because those are Alpha claw wounds."

Raven made an impressed noise and sat opposite him. He stared levelly across the table at her,

"How did you know it was me that killed all of those beowulves?" he asked, "It could've been any of the people I was with."

Raven nodded, "True, let's just say I had a little bird in a tree watching you."

Roy snorted, knowing he wasn't going to get a straight answer out of her, "You owe me a story" he said quietly,

"I don't owe you a thing," Raven said. haughtily, "But I did promise an explanation. I'll start after you've had your back fixed up"

Almost on cue, the healer entered the tent. They turned out to be a petite woman with dark skin. She wore a light red jacket that contrasted her dark skin. Her hair was a dirty blonde and her eyes were a light gold that stood out like a moon in a midnight sky. She carried a small leather satchel which Roy assumed held her medicinal supplies.

"Is this Arashi's boy?" she asked,

Raven made a tired noise, "People talking about him already?"

The healer ignored Raven and got down behind Roy. She wrinkled her nose, "Oof, do you drink?" she asked.

Roy shook his head, "No."

The healer sniffed again, "Oh, because your back reeks of whiskey."

Roy snorted, "That'll be the "disinfectant" my friend used."

The healer probed one of the cuts, "It's primitive, yet effective." She motioned to Vernal, "Fetch me some water,"

Vernal looked at Raven who nodded.

She exited the tent and returned a short time later with a small pail of water. The healer dunked a rag into the water and began to sponge at Roy's back. His wounds throbbed and he gritted his teeth. The healer finished up the cleaning,

"Now for the rough part," she said. Taking out a handful of herbs, she began to pack them into his wounds. He grit his teeth and struggled not to groan. After finishing, the healer held up a needle and thread,

"I've been sewn up before" Roy said, "This will be no different."

The healer nodded approvingly, "I can see why you wanted him chieftess, he's got a fire in him."

Raven rolled her eyes, "Don't start, everyone was accusing me of having favorites when his mother was around."

She gestured at Roy, "Sometime, you'll have tell me the story of those scars and that eye."

Roy nodded, "Maybe, someday."

He felt the needle start on the first claw wound. He set his teeth and tried to ignore the little bite of the needle as it stabbed into his flesh.

"Now," he said, "About that story."

 **What? Roy is the son of a bandit? What a tweest! This connection was very fun to come up with and I enjoyed writing it. I hope you've enjoyed reading these chapters as much as I've enjoyed writing them!**

 **Until next we meet.**

- **Ar3mRising.**


	42. Chapter 41: Mate in Three

Raven looked down her nose at the faunus sitting in front of her, "I suppose I should tell you of the time your mother was a part of our tribe."

Roy struggled to keep his face passive; inside he was bursting with questions. He'd always wanted to hear the story of his mother's bandit days.

"Your mother was one of the best bandits in our clan," Raven began, "She had a knack for getting what she wanted without resorting to violence. I once saw her sweet talk a merchant out of his Lien pouch. She was very persuasive and beautiful. If she ever did resort to fighting, she was a sight to behold."

The healer snorted, "As well she should've been, you trained her."

Raven waved the woman to silence and continued, "One day, she came back from a job, bragging about how she'd used her feminine wiles to escape from a huntsmen. Everyone congratulated her, but I could see the look in her eyes; something about them didn't agree. I took her aside and asked her about him, but she just laughed me off and told me to not to worry. So, I relented, I trusted Sharon to be bigger than the little emotion that is love." Raven said the word with a hint of disdain "Three months later Sharon disappeared. She was just gone, without a trace…and now I know why." Raven fixed her cold maroon eyes on Roy and he shivered slightly,

"I would assume then," he began, "that she married my dad and had me."

Raven snorted " I'll be damned if your mother truly loved your father."

Roy clenched his fists, "What do you mean by that?" he hissed causing Raven to smirk.

"She probably just married him to avoid capture, it was probably infatuation born out of necessity." she finished.

Roy's head was buzzing, it couldn't be true, he tried recalling if his mother had ever said anything about his father, but to his chagrin, he could only remember two separate occasions when his mother had even mentioned him.

"No matter, you should prove to be a valuable asset to the tribe." Raven continued.

Roy's brow furrowed, "An asset how?"

Raven once again gazed down her nose at him, "Perimeter defense, you seem to have a knack for killing grimm and we could use someone like you to move around our camp and clear away any of the disgusting creatures."

Roy thought about the offer, "What if I don't want to be your asset?" he asked, adopting the same down the nose gaze at Raven.

The chieftess smiled coyly, "You tried to play that card before. Let's just say, the claw wounds on your back will be the least of your worries. No one can know where this camp is, we've only let one person live who knows this location. You are in no position to fight your way out of here, so I'd say you are in no position to refuse."

Roy lowered his eyes to the ground, he knew that he was in checkmate. Raven was right about his injuries, his sword arm was broken and the stitches on his back would tear if he overexerted himself.

"Damn it all." he growled.

Raven bent down and hooked his chin with her finger, "Don't pout kitten, it's not becoming."

Roy subtly moved his head away from her hand, "Just...Where are my clothes?" he asked.

Vernal tossed him a black scrap of cloth. The fabric was little more than a rag that appeared to be the shoulder of an old coat. it reeked of blood and Roy wrinkled his nose, holding the scrap gingerly.

"What is…?"

he noticed the patch on the arm and realized that this sad scrap of clothing was all that remained of his old vigilante coat. The patch was the outline of an eye with three gashes running through it, Sierra had bought it for him as a good luck gift when he first became of vigilante. Roy took a moment of silence for his faithful coat, finally done in by the claws of grimm.

"Do you two need a moment alone?" Vernal asked with a disdainful laugh.

Roy shook his head. Reaching over next to him, he slid a switch forward on Μόνος' sheath causing it and the blade inside to retract. Drawing the now shorter sword, he carefully cut the patch free of the jacket.

"Here," he said, tossing the remains of the coat at Vernal's feet. "You can burn that, I'll assume that my T-shirt was in the same condition?"

Vernal nodded, "You could wear it like it is, I know there are several women...and men around the camp who wouldn't mind."

Roy really didn't like the way she said this and decided to opt for the other option. Bowing slightly, he spoke pointedly and deliberately. "Chieftess, I request a replacement for my clothes."

Raven nodded in approval, "You're already learning your place, good. We should have something for you to wear in our supply shack."

Moving to the entrance of the tent, she motioned to Roy. He struggled to rise, but finally gained his feet and moved to join Raven at the entrance of the tent.

"That tent right there..." she said motioning to a brown and red tent to the right of the her own, "Is the supply shack. We keep spare goods in there and I'm confidant you should find something to wear. Vernal, go with him and make sure he finds what he needs."

Vernal made a noise of disgust, "what? Am I cat-sitting now?"

Raven gave her a stern look and Vernal fell silent, then sighed,

"Come on Kitten, let's get you a new collar." she said in a mocking tone.

Roy bit back a retort and walked after her. They entered the the tent and were greeted by a short, gristle-chinned man who glared suspiciously at Roy before jabbing his thumb over his shoulder to the clothing rack. Roy strode over and began to riffle through the clothing. He found a long sleeve, dark blue shirt and a pair of black jeans. The shirt was a tad too long in the arms but he knew he could fix that simply by rolling the sleeves up.

He started to turn away from the clothing, but a flash of red caught his eye. Lifting aside an old moth eaten green coat, he pulled out a black coat with a dark red lining. The coat had seen better days, the hem of the coat tails were tattered and torn and one of the sleeves was missing but at least it was something he could work with.

He gathered his new clothes in his uninjured arm and left the tent. Turning to Vernal, he asked, "Where can I find the healer?"

Vernal gave him a bored look and gestured toward a different tent; a moss green one, "The healer is in that tent there."

Roy nodded his thanks and limped over to the healers tent. Upon reaching it, he rapped his knuckles on the support pole at the entrance.

"Enter!" The voice of the healer from earlier greeted him.

He lifted the tent flap and stepped inside. It was a modest dwelling with a small cot in the corner and multiple racks with herbs drying on them spread throughout the the interior. The healer herself was sitting by one of these racks, hanging a small bundle of Maidenhair to dry.

"Ah, the newcomer, what can I do for you?" she asked.

Roy motioned to his arm; the splint that Henry put together was falling apart and needed changing. "I was wondering if you could bind this up so I could use it again?"

The healer motioned him to sit next to her, "Here, let me take a look at it." she said, gently taking his right arm in her hands.

First, she cleared away the old splint and gently prodded his arm with her finger at several points until Roy winced. "hmmm, hmmm, Mhmm. well it looks like you have a fracture in your forearm. It'll need a new splint which I can make for you." She gave him a wary look, "What were you wanting to do with it just now?"

Roy set the clothing down in front of her, "I need to alter some of these clothes to fit me."

The healer's brow furrowed, "Alter how?"

Roy spread the coat out, which was quite difficult to do with just the one hand. "I need to cut the sleeves to be the same length"

The healer harrumphed and brought out two pieces of wood. Setting them on either side of his arm, she wrapped his arm and the wood tightly with the black fabric causing him to wince and grit his teeth against a groan as the splint started to do its job. The healer rifled through a pile of rags next to the cot and brought out a ragged green cloth which she fashioned into a sling for the broken arm.

"I think you should be able to do that." she said, turning away from him to arrange more of the Maidenhair on the rack.

Roy stumbled to his feet once again, his clothes draped over his good arm.

"Might I ask you your name ma'am?" he asked.

The woman looked him up and down as if judging whether he was worthy of hearing her name, "You can call me Zuri, and I'm not a ma'am, there isn't a Ma'am or sir to be found in this tribe, we are who we are and we are equal. Well, except for the chieftess."

Roy nodded and turning, exited the tent.

Vernal was leaning against the entrance pole as he left, "I'm supposed to show you to your lodgings" she said, sounding less than thrilled.

Roy nodded, following the woman to a small run down blue tent in the back corner of the camp.

"There you go, perfect little hovel for the kitten." Vernal said with a sneer.

She went to pat Roy shoulder but in a flash he smacked her hand away,

"First off," he growled, "Only one person is allowed to call me kitten and it most certainly isn't you! You will call me Arashi…or, if you must, cat...Are we clear?"

Vernal stared him down and Roy returned her steely glare with his own one eyed death stare.

"My, My, quarreling are we?" Raven's voice came from behind them.

Roy turned away, finally breaking eye contact with Vernal. "Just friendly disagreement." he said cooly, "We're good now."

With that, Roy ducked inside the tent. A blanket and bed pad had been tossed willy nilly into the the interior of the tent along with his knapsack. The knapsack had come open, spilling several of his belongings over the ground. With a sigh, Roy began to put the tent in order. He first repacked his belongings back in the knapsack and set it in the corner of the tent while he made the bed. He hadn't been given a pillow, so he pulled out a spare pair of pants, rolled them up and wrapped them in a spare shirt. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it was better than nothing. Surprisingly, the blanket was rather nice and was made of blue cloth that was reasonably heavy and would probably keep him warm for the time being.

It was just fading into the darkness of night when he finished and he decided to settle down for the evening. He gingerly sank down onto the bed pad and pulled the blanket over himself with one hand. Lying backwards, he winced as the rough bed pad brushed against the fresh stitches on his back. He rearranged the makeshift pillow under his head and, closing his eyes, fell asleep.

 **Well this isn't good, Roy can't be stuck in Raven's camp! He's got people to do and things to see...wait. And what if he runs into more canon characters?! Crap!**

 **Shout out to my reviewer Koema, Thank you for your kind words!**

 **Until next we meet.**

 **-Ar3mRising**


	43. Chapter 42: The life I lead

Roy was roughly shaken awake the next morning by Vernal. He winced and groaned as she jostled his broken arm.

"Oh, sorry." she said, clearly not sorry at all, "The chieftess wants to see you...now."

She sauntered out of the tent, leaving Roy nursing his arm. Throwing the blanket aside, Roy slowly got up and awkwardly pulled his arm out of the sling to slip his new shirt on. He bit his lip as the arm sent out waves of pain in protest of the action, but he finally managed to get the darn thing on.

Next, he pulled out the new coat and, using Μόνος, cut the sleeve short and trimmed up the other side until it was as neat as could be expected. He slipped the jacket over his good arm and buckled his red sword belt around his middle. He set his broken arm inside of the jacket with the hand poking out of the open front, the jacket acting as a secondary support to the sling. Strapping Μόνος to his side and exiting the tent, he made his way to Raven's tent.

As he drew near, Roy could see the chieftess already standing on the steps leading up to the entrance.

"Ah, Arashi!" she called, "How did you find our accommodations?"

Roy gave her a sarcastic smile, "Finer than any 5-star hotel." he quipped.

Raven rolled her eyes and beckoned him to follow, "Come with me, we're going on a little trip."

Roy raised an eyebrow, his aura was doing what it could for his injuries, but they still throbbed painfully.

"You do realize that I'm still injured, right?" he asked incredulously.

Raven looked down her nose at him, "I suggest you make a miraculous recovery and come with me, now. "

she emphasized the word and Roy knew there was no arguing with her. The chieftess walked gracefully past him toward the entrance of the camp and Roy turned and walked after her.

A cool sunny morning shone down on them as they traveled away from the camp. Birds sang softly in the trees and a few insects buzzed among the patches of wildflowers that surrounded the camp. After 15 minutes, they reached a clearing. More wildflowers dotted the area and the trees framing the clearing where old and gnarled.

Raven turned and addressed him, "What I expect from you is killing grimm and keeping them away from the camp. You will leave the camp every morning and scout the perimeter, stopping only for ration breaks and when you return to camp at night. You can't escape, I'll see you wherever you go and will make you extremely sorry if you put one toe out of line. Are we clear?"

Roy nodded "Crystal, but why are you telling me this here?"

A loud rustling came from behind him and he swiveled his ears in that direction.

"I brought you out here because I want to see if you can survive out here even while you're injured." Raven replied.

A growl thundered from behind Roy and he turned to see a large ursa lumber from the shadow of the surrounding woods. It was an older beast judging from the longer spines on its back. Its eyes glowed a malicious orange and saliva dripped from its maw as it roared at him, scoring deep gouges in the earth with its razor sharp claws. He turned around to argue with Raven but the chieftess had vanished, leaving him alone against the ursa.

Roy's annoyance quickly turned to frustration. Drawing Μόνος, he walked toward the large, bear-like creature. The ursa roared again and charged him, covering the space between them frighteningly fast. Roy waited until the last possible second, then side-stepped and slashed the ursa along it's flank. The sudden pain caused the beast to turn and take a swipe at him.

Dodging the claws, Roy returned Μόνος to her sheath and fired off a round into the beast's face. the ursa staggered backwards and Roy drew his sword and switched it to its whip form. Lashing out with the segmented blade, he caught the ursa around the neck and pulled, trying to relieve the ursa of its head.

The ursa slammed its paw down on the whip, yanking the faunus forward. Instead of pitching headlong, Roy planted his feet and strained against the ursa. Quickly realizing he couldn't win in a battle of strength against the beast, Roy ran forward and dodged an angry swipe from the ursa. He swung himself around onto the grim's back and swung the whip sword around its neck a second time. He yanked with all his might with his good arm, straining furiously attempting to pierce the thick hide and sinew of the beast. He felt several stitches on his back pop and blood start soaking into the bandages.

Roy's sizzling frustration finally boiled over into a feral yell that echoed around the woods. As the ursa's neck finally started to succumb to pressure of the blade, the grimm let out a roar. The two sounds mingled into one crescendo that rang through the morning air until, finally, the Ursa's head separated from its body and hit the forest floor with a sickening thud.

Roy's breath came in ragged gasps as he dismounted the ursa's corpse. Returning Μόνος to its sword form, he wiped the blade on the Ursa's corpse and placed it back into its sheath. A sound behind him caused him to redraw his sword in a blink and whirl around. He found himself face to face with Raven once more,

"That was impressive." she said, clapping slowly.

Roy let out his pent up breath. "Where were you this whole time?" he asked grudgingly, shoving his sword back into its sheath.

"Here and there," Raven answered coyly.

"How informative." Roy grumbled and began walking back toward the camp.

"I think you'll suit our needs perfectly." Raven called after him.

Roy growled as he nursed his broken arm, which had gone from a throb to a stabbing pain. He finally made it back to the camp and made a beeline for Zuri's tent.

"You again?" she exclaimed.

Roy nodded sheepishly, "Some of my stitches popped."

Zuri let out a resigned sigh, "Come on, I'll get you sewn back up."

Roy nodded his thanks and removed his jacket and shirt before sitting down. It took Zuri 5 minutes to restitch Roy's wound and she grumbled almost the whole time. When she'd finished, she sent him back to his tent, where Roy lowered himself down onto his bed pad.

Laying back, he thought about his situation. He was distinctly sure that he would never be allowed to leave. Raven saw him as too valuable to let out of her grasp. But...it just couldn't be possible for her to have eyes on him at all times, could it?

He decided to call Raven's bluff and attempt an escape. He would make the attempt during his next patrol. Raven had mentioned sending a single guard to watch him, but Roy was confident he could out maneuver a single human easily. His mind fixed on on his escape plan, he settled back to wait.

Eventually, a rugged man stood in front of his tent and barked at him to come out. Roy quickly packed his belongings in his knapsack and exited the tent, offering his guard an apologetic smile. With a tired huff, his guard turned and lead him out of the camp.

Roy had decided to wait until a certain point, about 300 yards from the camp where the path wound through a thick cop of trees, to make a break for it. Then, he would take off toward the capital city of mistral.

He clenched his fists tightly; his nerves were thrumming wildly and his heart was beating faster and faster. He knew he had to act naturally around his guard and he forced himself to calm down, slowing both his breathing and heartbeat.

As they neared his escape spot, his nerves kicked up a notch; every sudden sound made his heart stop and his ears quiver slightly. They reached his branch-off point and Roy quietly knelt, pretending to fix the strap of his boot. His guard continued forward, blissfully unaware that his charge had stopped. Roy waited a couple more seconds then jumped up and shot off toward Mistral.

He ran lightly through the woods, practically leaving no trace in the foliage. Just as he was beginning to relax, he heard the sound of rushing wings approaching from his left. Some unknown instinct told him to spin to his left and draw Μόνος….Now! He obeyed his gut and the next second, Raven's blade crashed against his as she appeared out of nowhere. Roy planted his right foot and used Raven's momentum to duck past her. Whirling to face her, he struck a reverse fighting pose.

"Running away is most unwise, Cat." Raven purred dangerously, "We take you in, tend to your wounds, give you the clothes on your back and THIS" she waved her hand indicating the direction Roy had been running, "is how you repay us?!"

Roy shifted his grip in Μόνος' handle, "I'll be your prisoner! So don't make it sound like you helped me out of the kindness of your heart!"

Raven snorted scornfully "Tut tut kitten, talking back to your elders? Looks like I'm going to have to teach you a sharp lesson." She twirled her sword skillfully and beckoned Roy.

The faunus quickly took stock of the situation; his sword arm was currently broken and in a sling, the stitches on his back where still vulnerable and lastly he was up against a seasoned warrior. He didn't exactly like his chances with this one.

Roy reversed his hold on Μόνος and pulled the trigger on the handle allowing the blade to swirl outward into its whip form. He began to twirl it around himself creating a dancing, flashing cage of steel. He stepped forward and unleashed a swipe at Raven.

She simply stepped primly backwards and sucked her stomach in, allowing the blade to swing harmlessly past. Roy pulled his arm back and cracked the sword in Raven's direction she darted to the side avoiding the blade with ease. The whole time, the haughty look never left her face.

The chieftess drew her sword and lunged at Roy, flicking her sword to put a small dent in Roy's aura.

He flinched backwards, covering his retreat with a fevered weaving of his sword through the air. He paused and shrugged out of his coat; the way the fight was going he really didn't want it cut to ribbons like his last one.

Roy charged forward and sent himself into a horizontal spin, Μόνος spinning around him like a deadly saw blade. Raven blocked with her sword, her blade weakening and shattering under the onslaught of Roy's sword. Roy landed and moved in for the kill, but the next second he was once again retreating as Raven beat him back with another blade she'd drawn from her large sheath.

The smirk was still on her face as she paused, "Not bad for your first try kitten, not going to lay down and take it?"

Roy silently shook his head and snapped Μόνος back into sword mode.

Charging Raven again, he swung Μόνος in a graceful arc toward the chieftess' head. A clang rang through the woods as she blocked Roy's blade with her own. He lept backward, landed and shot forward once again, sending a barrage of slashes and thrusts at Raven.

She blocked or evaded all of them with ease, a horrible triumphant gleam appearing in her eyes. He backed off and struck a defensive pose, his breath coming in ragged gasps from the effort of his attacks

"Finished?" Raven asked lightly, "Well then, it's my turn."

She dashed forward and unleashed a virtual typhoon of blows at Roy. He desperately attempted to block or parry but little by little his aura was whittled down. The chieftess drew back, preparing a finishing lunge.

Roy decided to use a move his mother had taught him once, it was risky and if it was successful would only allow him one blow. Meaning that he either pulled it off and finished the fight in one move or he failed and went down immediately. He gulped, disengaging his arm from the sling.

Raven cocked an eyebrow and lunged lightning fast at Roy who waited until she was almost on him. Ignoring his every instinct he dropped Μόνος to the forest floor and swung his hands together in a very loud clap stun, causing Raven to flinch and check her headlong dash at him.

Ignoring the pain in his arm Roy jumped and swung his leg around. He'd been absorbing only a small amount of the force from Raven's onslaught but it gave him the oomph needed to connect with a devastating blow to the side of her face that shattered her aura. Raven reeled to the side, her hand grasping her cheek.

Roy landed in a crouch and straightened up just in time for Raven's sword pommel to smash into his stomach, relieving him of the air in his lungs. He coughed and wheezed, sliding down to his knees.

The chieftess had recovered a lot quicker then he'd anticipated and now grabbed one of his ears, yanking his head to the side.

From this angle, Roy could still see her face. All he had to show for his final gamble was a small cut along her cheek bone, a single drop of blood sliding down her cheek.

Raven caught the drop on her finger and regarded it with disdain.

"I hope this drop was worth it Kitten," She spat, "it will cost you!"

With that, she slammed Roy's head into a tree and he knew no more.

 **I always tell people, when creating an OC, never make your character more powerful than canon characters if you want them to be liked. This is the second time that Roy has lost a fight to a canon character, the first time being the doubles round fight against Pyrrha. Roy is powerful in his own way, (Which will be revealed later ;3)**

 **Anyway, until next we meet!**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	44. Chapter 43: Raven's Guard Dog

A splash of water brought Roy back to the world with a jolt.

He came to completely drenched and was immediately hit by a throbbing pain coming from his head. It felt as if a nevermore had his head in its beak and was slowly crushing the life out of him.

Groaning, he sat up to discover he was naked from the waist up, his shirt and jacket, gone. His eyepatch was also gone and his scars and missing eye were on full display. Looking around, he realized where he was.

He was surrounded on all four sides by a square metal cage about 8 feet wide by 10 feet tall. The metal of the bars feeling cold against his back as he leaned against them.

Vernal was standing in front of the cage, the metal bucket in her hands explaining where the water had come from.

He shook the water out of his eyes and clutched his aching head, but the sound of approaching feet caused him to look up.

Raven Branwen was slowly striding toward the cage, holding Μόνος in one hand and his eyepatch in the other.

"Ah, you've awakened, good." she said nonchalantly, "Now that you're awake, let us discuss this new...arrangement."

Roy's head hurt too much to speak, so he grit his teeth and listened.

"Before the little stunt you pulled, I was more than happy to welcome you as a functioning member of our tribe," Raven began curtly, "Now, you will essentially be nothing more than a guard dog. You will get up every morning and one of our number will escort you around the perimeter, keeping an eye on you as you repel the grimm. At the end of every day you will come back here and sleep in this cage. If the day comes you become too injured to continue, I will put you down myself. Do I make myself clear?"

Roy nodded dully.

"Good," Raven said coldly, "From this day forth you are my guard dog."

She handed Vernal Roy's eye patch and walked away, leaving the two of them alone at the cage.

Vernal set the bucket upside down and sat on it, twirling his eyepatch on her finger. Roy turned away and covered the ravaged side of his face, embarrassed to have it out in the open.

"Wow, from Kitten to guard dog." Vernal mused, causing Roy glared daggers at her. The woman scoffed, "Don't look at me like that, you should've just laid down and taken it." She sighed, "Now look at you, caged up like an animal."

Roy shoved his face close to the bars, "Well maybe I am one!" He snarled, "Maybe you should put me down right now!"

Vernal rolled her eyes,"Oh don't be so fatalistic," she said, tossing his eyepatch to him, "Your life will be tough yes, but not unbearable. Just be a good dog, do what the chieftess says and climb your way back up."

Roy chuckled darkly, "Not gonna happen, I'm still going to try and escape, every chance I get."

Vernal's eyes hardened, "you're a fool." she hissed.

She got up from the bucket and stalked away, leaving Roy with his thoughts. Roy curled up on the floor of the cage, the water clinging to his frame in the early morning air causing him to shiver.

Well Ebony, he thought, slipping his eyepatch back into place, How in Remnant am I going to get out of this one?

Roy's life over next weeks were hard. Every morning at 5:00, he'd be woken up and given his sword and coat by a guard who would watch him for the day and escort him along his patrol route. Every night, after the last shred of light had left the sky, he would collapse exhausted into bed just to get up several hours later to do it all again.

His diet mostly consisted of bread, water, vegetables and meat, when there was some to spare. He tried to escape a grand total of 4 times over 2 months, every attempt ending in failure.

The first time, he was cornered by a deathstalker and had to be rescued.

The second time, he was stopped by Vernal.

The third and fourth times he was stopped by Raven.

The fourth attempt had been the closest he'd come to escaping as he'd almost made it to a main road before Raven had caught him. This last escape attempt had taken a toll on him and he stopped trying to escape. To have freedom so close and to have it snatched away again was too much. He'd also decided he didn't want to test Raven's patience a fifth time as she'd threatened to start removing one of Roy's fingers for every escape attempt.

The only positive thing to happen during this time was that Roy's back and arm had finally healed, leaving a new collection of scars running down his back.

One day, as Roy was being taken back to his cage for the night, he noticed a second cage had joined his. As he drew near, he caught a glimpse of white hair and pale skin.

"Who's that?" he asked his guard; a thin man with small squinty eyes.

"That's our newest prisoner: the Schnee heiress."

Roy's head spun toward the cage, "Weiss?!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, you know her, swell." his guard said, rolling his eyes and pushing Roy back into his cage.

Roy quickly crawled to the side of the cage to look through the bars at his former classmate.

Weiss appeared to be unconscious, she lay on her side with her hands bound and a small bump on her head indicating that she'd been struck. She wore a shorter version of the dress she'd been wearing at the fundraising concert and a pair of light blue heels.

How did she get way out here? He thought We're at least 200 miles from Atlas.

Weiss chose that moment to stir in her sleep, reminding Roy how tired he was. The fatigue from the day took its toll on him and he fell asleep almost instantly.

"Rise and shine, small fry!" a cheery voice roused him from his sleep the next morning.

A woman with red hair and face paint stood outside his cage, holding his coat and sword. "Up and at em guard dog, let's go!" she said cheerfully.

Roy groaned and set the ratty blanket he'd been giving to the side, "Time already Azura?" he asked gloomily.

Azura was the most friendly of the four guards assigned to watch him and used the term "guard dog" as more of a nickname then as an insult as the rest of the tribe did. Roy even found himself holding friendly conversation with her every now and again.

The faunus dragged himself up and stepped outside of the cage. The sun hadn't risen yet, but a pinkish tinge tickled the edge of the horizon.

Yawning, Roy allowed his gaze to wand over to the neighboring cage and froze as his single royal blue eye locked with a pair of crystal blue ones. The Schnee heiress was awake and sitting up in her cage, her bound hands sitting in her lap.

Her eyes narrowed as she scanned Roy's face, desperately trying to remember if she knew it. Weiss' eyes widened as she finally remembered and she opened her mouth as if to say something. Roy gave her a small sad wave and turned away before she could speak, following Azura toward the entrance of the camp.

"So, She a friend of yours?" Azura asked.

"Kinda" he said as he walked past her out of the gates and into the woods. "We went to the school together."

Azura made a noise of surprise, "Really? Well, what are the odds that you'd meet again all the way out here?"

Roy stayed silent, not in the mood to talk.

Azura tried to make conversation, "I notice you haven't tried to escape lately."

Roy laughed mirthlessly, "Not much point is there?" he said, "Every time I try, I either get caught by the chieftess or nearly get killed by grimm"

Azura gave a chuckle, "Well, at least you can say your life is never boring!"

Roy snorted again, Yeah, he thought, Just another ordinary day in the life of Raven's guard dog.

 **This was a shorter chapter, apologies for that, things have been hectic here. I got sick and then snow days happened. That's what happens when you live in the Tundra that is Minnesota. Anywho, the next chapters are back to a more** **consistent** **length so stay tuned!  
** **  
Until Next we meet!**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	45. Chapter 44: To a Safe Haven

Roy returned that night to find the camp a bit different than when he'd left.

For one thing, there was a scorch mark in front of Raven's tent and for another, Weiss, the cage she was in and the tents in front of of it where all but gone, leaving a twisted metal wreck where the cage once stood.

He shot a questioning glance at Azura, who shrugged,

"Why should I know?" she asked, reading his questioning gaze. "I've been with you all day."

Roy rolled his eyes and walked toward his tent. Sticking his head inside, he grabbed his knapsack and began walking toward the chieftess' tent.

"Hey!" Azura exclaimed, but Roy ignored her and, sweeping aside the entrance flap, walked into Raven's tent. He found the chieftess sitting cross legged in her tent staring intently at a teacup with a chipped rim.

"Where is Weiss Schnee?" he asked.

Azura came bursting through the entrance of tent, "Chieftess! I am so sor-"

Raven cut the guard off with a wave of her hand, "Leave us," she said brusquely.

Azura bowed and quickly retreated outside, leaving the faunus and the chieftess alone. Raven looked Roy in the eye,

"gone" she said coldly, "She's gone."

She set the teacup down and pouring herself some tea from the large teapot.

"Gone where?" Roy pressed.

"Someone came and rescued her." Raven replied cryptically.

Roy sat facing her, " **Who** came and rescued her?" he asked.

Raven set the teacup down with a clink "You ask a lot of questions for a guard dog." she snapped.

This caused Roy to raise an eyebrow; Raven rarely, if ever snapped. It meant that something had bothered her deeply, deeply enough that her outer facade of indifference was cracking.

"Who…" he pressed.

"None of your damn business!" Raven snapped again, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Roy settled back with a satisfied grin on his face.

"What?!" Raven growled.

"It was someone you knew, wasn't it." He asked,

Raven flashed her sword out, catching Roy in the face. It was a quick swipe that drew blood, but wasn't too deep. He wiped the blood from his cheek and smiled,

"Honestly," he said, making sure to put an evil lilt to his voice, "This cut is worth seeing you so agitated chieftess."

Raven's eyes flickered with a murderous light, "You are tightrope walking on my last nerve, cat." she said, her hand tightening on her sword's handle.

"That's fine, I'll be out of your hair soon enough." Roy said with a confidence he didn't truly feel.

Raven blinked, "The hell you are. what are you talking about?" she asked.

Roy stood and straightened his coat, "It's simple," He began. "You let whoever took the Schnee heiress go without much of a fight. which means two things. 1. You've still got some sort of heart in there," he pointed to Raven's chest, "and 2. You're scared of something...or someone and you can't afford losing people to this mystery person."

Raven laughed haughtily, "That's an awfully big hunch." she said.

"Maybe" Roy continued, "but I'll bet I'm right"

Raven's face faltered by the smallest margin.

"You know that something is coming and when it gets here, you'll have bigger issues to deal with than me." Roy finished.

Raven unsheathed her blade again, "If you're right," She spat, placing her blade tip under his chin, "What's to stop me killing you right now?"

Roy's face went dead serious, "If you try to kill me, my body will explode, leveling your camp and killing or maiming anyone in the blast radius."

Raven looked less sure of herself "How?"

Roy smirked, "That's my semblance. I'm a human...or rather faunus punching bag. I can absorb and re-purpose Kinetic energy"

Raven smirked, "If your aura breaks, you can't use your semblance and I'll kill you." she said.

Roy laughed coldly, "That's not how my aura works, if you overload my aura just using blows before I've bled off any of the kinetic energy, then...boom."

Raven's eyes narrowed slightly, "You're bluffing," she growled "You're no monster, there are so many innocents in this camp."

Roy gestured over his shoulder, "how many innocent people can there in a bandit camp?" he asked with a sneer. "Anyway I don't care anymore...you've pushed me too far and I'm too desperate to turn back now. I was resigned to my fate but now that I've seen someone escape from you, well let's just say I want out too."

Raven looked furious, but returned her sword to her sheath and turned away.

"Get out of my camp" she said primly.

"Into a forest full of grim? No I don't think so." Roy said, unclipping Μόνος from his side, "I know you or someone here can teleport people."

"And why…" Raven spun around and snarled in his face, "...do you think that?"

Roy grinned; he had her right where he wanted her. "It was simple really, I didn't see hide nor hair of anyone leaving the camp during my patrol, and these…" he pointed to his cat ears, "Don't miss much. So wherever they went, they were sent without ever leaving the camp."

The chieftess looked away,

"I'm right aren't I?" Roy pressed.

"YES!" Raven snapped, "Yes! you're right Gods damn you!" She pinched the bridge of her nose, "It's my semblance...I can transport people to other places."

Roy stood and walked over to where his knapsack was sitting slumped in the corner of the tent. Hefting it onto his back he turned to Raven, "Excellent, if you could you send me to where you sent the heiress, I'll be out of your hair."

Raven laughed in disbelief, "Why the hell would I do that?" she exclaimed.

"Because," Roy said, "I've just been on patrol, absorbing grimm attacks for the entire day," He manifested his aura to show Raven the pulsing veins of energy running across it in jagged crack-like patterns, "I've left just enough aura so that a glancing blow will set me off, I was going to negotiate the Schnee's freedom but you took care of that for me. I've got nothing to lose at this point." He placed Μόνος under his chin, the steel barrel cold against his skin. "So why don't you try me."

The stare down that followed seemed to go on forever, seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. He was bluffing of about his semblance; if his aura broke now, instead of an explosion, the energy would all rebound back onto him. He would either be dead or gravely injured. The time crawled by until Roy just couldn't take it anymore. He squeezed his eyes shut, grit his teeth and-

"STOP!" Raven yelled, swinging her sword down. A crimson portal appeared in the air and a sound akin to howling wind filled the tent. Roy walked forward, trying not to stagger. He was light headed from how close he'd actually come to pulling the trigger and his legs felt like they were made of jelly.

Right before he passed through the portal, he gave Raven a smile. "Thank you for your hospitality."

With that he closed his eyes and stepped through the portal. It felt like walking through a curtain of cold water and he shivered. A second later, the rushing wind was replaced with the sounds of the clinking of glasses and men laughing.

When Roy opened his eyes, he found himself in the middle of a tavern. The design was distinctly Mistralian, with canvas and wood frame windows and a sliding door. The noise around him faded to a dead silence and he looked around to find everyone staring at him as if they'd seen a ghost.

"Kid?!" a husky voice came from his right.

He turned to find Qrow Branwen standing by the bar, his hand gripping the handle of his sword. Roy re-clipped Μόνος to his side, "Surprise" he said.

Looking past Qrow, he noticed a small sign hanging above the bar. that stated"Faunus not allowed" in bold back lettering.

"Ah," Roy said, smiling sadly to himself, "I see I'm in the wrong building, apologies."

Gently pushing his way to the door, he exited the bar and turned into a side alley. The stress that had built up over the last 10 minutes caused his stomach to turn and he emptied his stomach all over the wall of the alley. Backing into the opposite wall, he slid down into sitting position and buried his head in his hands.

"Uuuuh, Bad time?" Roy looked up to see Qrow standing over him, trying his best to looked concerned. Roy leaned his head against the wall, looking straight up into the late afternoon sky,

"I just bluffed the chieftess of a bandit tribe and escaped to tell the tale." he said, suddenly smiling.

He began to laugh, his laughter was loud and full of relief ringing through the alley. Qrow leaned down and hoisted Roy to his feet, "Wait, you lied to my sister, **the** Raven Branwen and you're still alive?"

Roy blinked, "She's your sister?" he asked, dumbfounded.

Qrow released him and stood back measuring him up and down, "Yeah and believe me, she isn't tricked easily."

Roy put a hand to his chest, his heart was still beating out of his chest, "I believe you, I almost blew my own head off to sell the bluff."

Qrow let out an impressed chuckle, "You have got to tell me the whole story!" he exclaimed, thumping Roy on the back. Roy's aura surged and he suddenly realized...

"I...I need something to punch that won't collapse, quickly!"Roy said.

Qrow's brow furrowed "why?"

Roy started to respond but a buzzing began to fill his ears and the cracks in his aura became visible. "Just point me somewhere quick!"

Qrow turned,"Follow me kid!"

He took off running and led Roy to a large cliff face away from the main populated area

"Will this work?" he asked.

Roy nodded, "Stand back" he said and swung his fist into the rock with a loud *Boom*.

The cliff face broke from his blow, cracks spreading out in a spider web pattern. Roy rubbed his knuckles and sighed as he felt the kinetic energy drain out of his aura. A sharp blow to the back of his leg signalled the rebound and he fell to one knee.

 _Gods_

He thought, _What is wrong with me?_ Qrow walked over to the cliff face and ran his hand over the cracks "Well, that is something, is that your semblance?"

Roy nodded and explained how his aura worked. Qrow let out a low whistle, "Well color me impressed, now why don't you tell me about your dealings with my sister."

Roy's stomach growled, "Can I tell the story over something to eat?" he asked.

Qrow chuckled dryly and nodded, "Follow me, I know a spot."

 **And that is how Roy finally reached Mistral. Fun fact; my sister's name is Haven. To anyone thinking I don't know how Raven's semblance works, I do. I just thought that she wouldn't tell some random person the intimate details of her semblance. As of today Chapter 1 has reached 1,000 views! it's the little things XD. Thank you to everyone for your support!**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	46. Chapter 45: Gods and Legends

Roy recounted his whole experience in the bandit camp in the time it took to eat his way through 4 bowls of soup. Qrow had kept signalling the waiter to refill his drink and Roy's bowl, choosing to stay silent until the narrative had concluded.

Roy wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve, having just finished bowl number four. "And then I threatened to destroy the camp with the pent up energy stored in my aura." He concluded.

Qrow's eyes widened slightly, "Your semblance is that powerful?" he asked.

Roy mustered a sheepish grin, "Oh no. If I actually tried that, I'd probably end up just killing myself."

Qrow took a long drink from his glass, "But you bluffed and she believed you."

Roy pushed around some of the spare vegetables in his soup bowl, "It might have helped when I held my sword to my throat and threatened to kill myself to trigger the explosion."

Qrow whistled, "I've got hand it to you kid, you've got balls."

Roy nodded, "I guess."

Qrow drained his glass, "You're powerful kid, in more ways than one. Plus you seem to be one of the decent sort. I'd like to extend an invitation to you."

Roy blinked, "And...what would that be?" he asked tentatively.

Qrow leveled his gaze at Roy, "To join the real fight, to stop looking for a cause and make a difference."

Roy thought for a moment, "I don't know…" he said, "My goal...My whole reason for becoming a huntsman was to dismantle the White Fang…"

Qrow rolled his eyes slightly, "This is so much bigger than that, this is about the survival of mankind and faunus alike."

Roy's brow furrowed, "How so?" he asked.

Qrow took a sip of his drink, "What if I told you Gods were real?" he stated cooly.

Roy blinked "what?!" he exclaimed.

"Well" Qrow began again, "To be specific there were two Gods, two brothers. The eldest was the god of light. He enjoyed creating forces of life. The younger brother, on the other hand was the god of darkness. He spent his time creating forces of destruction. As you can imagine, they had different ideas about how things should go. During the day, the older one would create water, plants and wildlife. And then at night, his brother would wake to see all the things that the elder had made and become disgusted. To counteract his brother's creations, the god of darkness brought drought, fire, famine, all he could do to rid Remnant of life, but life always returned.

One night, the younger brother went and made something that shared his desire to destroy. These became known as the creatures of Grim. The older brother finally had enough. Knowing that their feud couldn't go on like this forever, proposed that they make one final creation... together, something that they could both be proud of, their masterpiece. The younger brother agreed. This last great creation would be given the power to both create and destroy. It would be given the gift of knowledge, so that it could learn about itself and the world around it. And most importantly, it would be given the power to choose, to have free will to take everything it had learned and decide which path to follow - the path of light or the path of darkness. And that is how humanity came to be"

Roy was flabbergasted. He knew his mother followed the teachings of the God of light and he'd had a run-in several years back with a sect who worshipped the God of destruction but had never thought they were real,

 _Guess I've got to re-evaluate my stance on the whole thing._ he thought. "I'm still confused," he said, "What conflict stems from the knowledge of these two Gods?"

Qrow shot him a look "I was getting to that. Anyways these four gifts or to mankind - knowledge, creation, destruction and choice - aren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form and each of them is extraordinarily powerful. If someone were to collect all four, they'd be able to change the world. That's exactly what the enemy wants. The Huntsman Academies were created to train generations of Humanity's protectors, but they also serve another purpose - guarding these "Relics". When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the Relics to act as a fortress. Not only would they be easier to defend, but they would constantly be surrounded by trained warriors. The hope was that hiding them would keep mankind from using them against itself... and, of course, keeping them out of her reach"

Roy raised an eyebrow "Her?"

Qrow scowled, "Salem"

The name sent a chill up Roy's spine although he didn't quite know why.

Qrow looked Roy in the eye "This is the fight I'm inviting you to join, the fight to protect the relics, stop Salem and keep humanity around. At any cost necessary...are you in?"

Roy gripped his spoon tightly. What the elder huntsman was asking was not something to be taken lightly. He was asking Roy to accept that Gods were real, powerful relics existed that if gathered together, could bringing about the end of the world as he knew it. It was a lot to take in and Roy wasn't sure he was ready to make the call yet. "May I have some time to think about it?"

Qrow sighed, "The fact that you want to think about it is a good sign. It means you at least partially believe me." he drained his glass, "You have until the end of this week to make a decision." he set the glass firmly on the table and stood up.

"You're paying right?" he asked Roy who flushed and began scrabbling through his knapsack,

"I-"

Qrow chuckled, "I'm joking kid, I've cover you this time, this is the second time you owe me."

Roy thanked the huntsman profusely, Qrow smiled awkwardly, "Where are you staying, kid?"

Roy thought for a moment, "I've been told that my mother lives somewhere outside the city, I'm planning on asking around and seeking her out."

Qrow raised an eyebrow, "How long has it been since you've seen your mother Kid?"

Roy fiddled with a drawstring on his knapsack, "Give or take four years."

Qrow blinked, "Huh, well good luck." With that, the huntsman turned and exited the bar.

Roy siddled over to the counter, "Pardon me," he said, causing the barkeep to turn to him,

"Yeah?" the man said.

Roy pointed to his face "Have you seen a woman come through here with eyes and cat ears like mine?"

The Barkeep squinted at Roy for a second, "Hmmm, No, No can't say I have. If I do who should I say is lookin?"

Roy chewed his lip before answering "Her son, Shiroi Arashi

The man scribbled the info on a notepad and stuck the paper on a mirror behind the bar. "If I see her I'll let her know. I can ask around if you'd like."

Roy nodded "Thank you, I would appreciate that. By the way, how much are rooms here?"

The Barkeep scanned Roy as if appraising him. Roy shot a quick glance down and he had to admit, he didn't look like he could afford anything. He was shirtless under his coat his shirt having been stuffed hurriedly into his backpack. His jeans were stained with mud and blood and his shoes were currently in his knapsack with his single spare shirt.

He sighed and slipped his knapsack off of his shoulder and opened it. He always kept around 60 Lien sewn into the lining of his backpack for emergencies. He slid 30 of it over the counter, "Will this cover it?" he asked.

The Barkeep chuckled, "You're smarter than I gave you credit for."

Roy smiled softly, "Thanks"

The Barkeep had one of the waitresses take Roy to a small room on the corner of the building. Locking the door behind him, he set his knapsack on the bed and shed his jacket.

He draped it over the chair back and walked over to his bag and upended it onto his bed. To his irritation he saw that most of his belongings had been taken.

The only things left inside were his team picture, his blue shirt, his shoes, an extra pair of black jeans and his flask. This last item surprised him, it was a purchase it for 150 lien when he was in Atlas. It was stainless steel, with a small amount of ice dust embedded into the body of the flask. It could keep liquids cold up to five days and was arguably quite valuable.

He decided not to question it and picked up the team photo, his blood boiled as he saw that a corner had been torn off. He sighed and set the photo gently on the nightstand. Grabbing his shirt and shoes, Roy descended the stairs into the main bar area.

"Excuse me?" he asked one of the waitresses, "Do you know if there is a bathhouse nearby?"

The Waitress smiled, "Yes, one is located about a mile from here, that way." she pointed north.

Roy thanked her and hurried off to find the bathhouse. It wasn't too hard to find, as it was located just outside a main market area. It was one of the "nicer" public ones that provided gender and species segregated baths.

To Roy's indignation, the faunus baths were much dingier then the human ones. He sat in his stall, shivering in the cold water streaming from the rusty shower head above him. There was no soap, only scouring stones and small hotel sized bottles of shampoo. This was unfair as most faunus had furry attributes that required extra attention.

Roy washed his hair first, scrubbing furiously at his ears. A small amount of grime had accumulated in his hair and he was quite glad to be rid of it. Next, he gingerly turned to allow the water to cascade over his back, the claw mark scars glistening in the low lantern light.

His body and hair clean, Roy went to dry himself off. The towels were tossed into a corner, but appeared to be clean. Roy made sure all of the water was out of his ears before putting on his extra shirt and jeans.

Draping his jacket over his arm, Roy strode out into the crisp evening air. The evening breeze tickled his ear tips and he smiled softly. Turning, he made his way to the post office where a package containing his helmet waited for him.

Upon exiting the post office, he turned and made his way back to the inn. The package under his arm made him feel like he'd been reunited with an old friend and just for that moment, everything felt all right again.

 **And with this chapter, Roy is drawn into the true conflict of the series. I actually wasn't going to do this, I was going to have him continue his fight against the the White Fang. but then their threat in the series** **de-escalated. I have more plans for the White Fang later in the series, but that's for me to know and you to read.**

 **Until next we meet.**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	47. Chapter 46: Cottage In The Woods

Roy walked through the bar, the water still moist on his cat ears. The barkeep, who had been talking to a man at the bar waved Roy over. "Hey kid this guy says he knows your mom!"

Roy's heart lept, "Really?!"

He hurried to the bar, dodging patrons and tables as he went. The man, who was older with silver hair that faded to gold near the ends and sparkling eyes, nodded, "I work for the Mistrali postal service and your mother is on my route. It's funny, now that I see you, you do look like her, what with the ears and all."

Roy's heart was beating rapidly, "Please sir, take me with you and show me where she is."

The elderly postman smiled kindly, "You'll have to be up bright and early tomorrow; around 5:30 AM or so."

Roy nodded, "I'll meet you here at 5:35!" he said, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Deal!" the man said with a chuckle.

After thanking the man and the barkeep profusely, Roy retreated to his room. Upon entering, he shut the door behind him and draped his coat over a chair. After setting his package on the chair, he undressed and tumbled into bed with a slight groan.

He was having a hard time getting to sleep, thoughts of his mother buzzing around his head like a swarm of bees. Would she be happy to see him? Would she even want to see him? He tossed and turned for most of the night before finally falling asleep at 1:00. His scroll chirping loudly roused him from his slumber four hours later.

The scroll only worked as a communicator in populated areas since the communication tower at Beacon had fallen and was basically useless in the wilds if Remnant, but functioned perfectly well as an alarm clock. The limited functionality was the main reason the bandits hadn't taken it. He groggily reached over and pressed the snooze button.

Roy rolled onto his back with a yawn and sat up, scrubbing sleep from his eyes. Dragging himself from the bed, he pulled on his shirt and jacket. Next, he reached under the covers and pulled out Μόνος. He'd started sleeping with the sword next to him, having her so near made him feel more secure at night.

Clipping the sword to his side, he strode out of the door, down the hall and down into the bar area. The elderly postman was sitting at the bar enjoying a cup of coffee.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." he chuckled, taking a generous sip of the steaming liquid.

Roy nodded drowsily, "Good morning sir." he said with a large yawn. He caught the barkeep squinting at him curiously, "What?" he asked.

"I've heard that certain faunus have larger canine teeth than humans." the man explained sheepishly.

Roy blinked "And?" he asked.

The barkeep nodded, "It's true."

Roy rolled his eyes and turned to the postman, "You almost ready?" he asked.

The man took a generous gulp of coffee and nodded "Yep, let's get going. It's a good twenty minutes from here."

Roy nodded, the butterflies starting to develop in the pit of his stomach. "By all means, lead the way."

:

The sun was just peeking over the horizon as Roy trekked down a dirt road that wound away from Mistral and into the surrounding wilderness. The postman was slightly ahead, carrying his bag of mail and humming softly to himself. Roy offered to carry the mail bag several times, but the man had refused,

"I've been carrying this bag for almost 30 years, I'm not about to take a break now!" he said with a snort.

Roy relented and fell back behind. The road they were on was slightly muddy from the rain that had fallen during the past week and the air was full of a lovely earthy scent.

Eventually, the two of them came to a small path that led away from the road. To the right of the path was a small dilapidated mailbox with the name "Arashi" spelled across it in peeling white lettering. A small chill ran up Roy's spine.

"Well, this is it!" the man said as he rummaged through the bag, "Eh, nothing for Mrs, A. today. Well son, this is where I bid you good day."

Roy shook the man's hand, "Thank you so much sir, I can never repay you."

The man grinned "And you don't have too, this was a favor and you don't have to repay favors."

Roy blinked, "But...you don't even know me."

The man chuckled, "Don't have to! You're just a poor kid who wants to see his mom again. How could I ever demand payment from someone like you? Bah! The very idea. Now get on down that lane, she's probably waiting for you!"

With that, the postman turned and walked away down the road, eventually disappearing into the woods. As Roy watched him go, he was reminded again of something Sierra had said once, "Humans are like apples, there are good ones and bad ones."

He smiled to himself, "Glad to meet a good one way out here." he murmured before turning down the lane.

He began walking, and felt two emotions become stronger with every step; apprehension and anticipation. Part of him couldn't wait to see his mother again. Seeing her kind blue eyes and hear her voice again was something he'd waited so long for. But another part of him was scared.

Would she accept him back?

Would she be angry with him?

Would she refuse to see him?

Several times on that lane he almost turned and ran, but he forced himself to keep moving forward through sheer willpower. As he rounded a bend in the road, a small house came into view.

It was painted brown with a green door, green shutters and a white picket fence running around the front of the house, completing the homely house style exterior. It wasn't until Roy neared the house that he noticed the woman working in a small garden plot in front of the house.

She appeared to be around thirty-nine to forty years of age and despite her years still had a youthful vigorous beauty about her. She had raven black hair tucked into a small tail that sat on her shoulder. Several hairs had already fled from the small green cord that held her hair in its secure braid and now flew freely. On the top of her head, two large feline ears poked up through her hair with several small silver piercings glinting in the sun.

Roy stopped dead, his heart skipped a beat and it felt as if a bear trap in his chest had clamped down on his lungs. He didn't know whether to run or to move forward. The woman noticed him and waved,

"Hello stranger, are you in need of directions?" She called out.

Roy staggered slightly and gripped Μόνος' handle; her voice was just as he remembered it. Strong as the tide, but gentle as a brook.

Her greeting galvanized him into action and he walked forward at a leisurely pace, his hand still resting on Μόνος' pommel. He saw her eyes dart toward his sword and her air changed ever so slightly from one of greeting to one of alertness.

Roy unclipped the sword from his side and leaned it against the picket fence before walked down the fence until he was standing in front of the the woman. For several seconds, he said nothing keeping his eyes trained downward. His throat too tight for to words escape.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" the woman asked, causing Roy to smile softly; he hated that phrase.

"Are you...Sharon Arashi?" He asked slowly.

"Who, pray tell, is asking?" she asked, a bit more wary than before.

Roy opened his mouth to answer, but his throat tightened again, leaving him struggling for words.

"H...Her…." he stammered.

"Her what? Who are you?" the woman asked.

Roy grit his teeth and fought against the knot in his throat until his reply tore itself from his throat, "HER SON….I'm her son!"

His words rang through the clearing. He heard a soft intake of breath and felt the woman gently take hold of his hood with trembling hands. Slowly, she lifted it off of his head, revealing his cat ears.

The gasp was more audible this time and she took his face in her hands and turned his face upwards so that she could see it clearly. The cool touch of her hands on his skin filled him with emotion and tears squeezed their way from the corner of his remaining eye.

Recognition slowly dawned in the woman's eyes. Tears began gathering in her eyes as well and spilled over, slowly sliding down her face. Her fingers slowly slid across his face, lingering on the scar along his cheek. Her searching touch eventually found the strap to his eyepatch where it crossed his forehead. She followed it over until her hand brushed his bangs aside revealing the patch. She lightly touched the soft leather hiding his damaged sightless eye, her tears starting in earnest. Roy closed his remaining eye and braced for whatever came next.

He suddenly felt his mother fling her arms around him, hugging him close to her as if she'd never let go. She was weeping like a little girl, her face buried in the hair between his ears.

"My boy," she sobbed "My boy."

Roy squeezed her tightly and buried his face in her shoulder. His nose was full of his mother's scent; freshly cut grass mixed with a hint of snowdrop. He couldn't keep his tears in check anymore and sobbed unashamedly.

They stayed like that for a while, the mother and son reunited, embracing each other over the white picket fence.

 **This was a very emotional chapter to write. Two things make me cry; reunions and goodbyes. let's just say the water works were running while writing it. In other news, the story has almost reached 4,000 views! It's** **exhilarating** **to be this close!  
**  
 **Thanks again!**

 **Until next we meet!**

- **Ar3mRising.**


	48. Chapter 47: Sharon

The two faunus stayed locked in each other's arms for what seemed like ages, as if trying to make up for the 4 years of lost time. Eventually, Sharon disengaged from the hug and held her son at arms length and looked him up and down once more. "Oh my poor boy, what has life done to you?"

Roy sniffed and wiped tears from his face, "It hasn't been all bad." he said.

His mother cupped his cheek in her hand, "After...that night I went to the White Fang and they told me you….." Her voice caught and she struggled to continue, "Told me you….were dead."

Roy looked at the ground, "I...almost was, but I survived."

As Sharon stroked one of his cat ears, he looked into her eyes. They had a questioning look in them mixed with….something.

"Mom...What's wrong?" Roy asked.

"It's nothing." she said a little too quickly, "It can wait." she straightening his hood. "Come! Tell me everything! Where have you been? What have you been up to?"

She pulled him up onto the porch and sat him in one of the wicker chairs situated to the left of the door.

Roy grinned. "It's a really long story."

Sharon snorted and gestured to the house and surrounding area, "I've nowhere else to be."

Roy nodded and launched into his narrative which took him a full hour to complete. As the tale concluded, his mother sat in silence for a moment before speaking, "That's one hell of a story"

Roy nodded, "That's what Ironwood said too."

Sharon raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you met that blowhard? What was he like?"

Roy laughed, "Just how you'd expect," he replied, "he tried to keep me in Atlas but I escaped."

Sharon made a small hmm sound and once again Roy could feel something was wrong. He grasped his mother's hand, "Mom, please. What's wrong?"

She locked eyes with him then pulled away from him and stood, arms crossed. "Why didn't you try to get in touch with me?" she asked.

Roy stared at the ground, "I tried once..." he said "But you were out of the country and I…."

"Didn't see the point?" Sharon said stiffly.

Roy flinched as if he'd been struck and his excuse died on his lips, "No! That's not it!" he said earnestly.

"Then what was it?!" Sharon cried, tears gathering in her eyes once more, "That you wouldn't make every attempt to contact your mother!" She stepped forward until she was standing over him, "I thought you were dead! For four years I've tried to come to terms with it! I would sit and cry for hours, thinking of all the ways I failed you, how I could have been a better mother! I shut down and I had no one there for me! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT'S LIKE?!"

Roy continued staring at the ground, "No Ma'am" He replied.

"I didn't think so" Sharon said thickly.

Roy heard his mother's footsteps retreating until the door of the little cabin slammed. He sat there for awhile, guilt crashing over him in waves at the thought of the pain he'd put his mother through. Finally, he sighed and strolled back to where he'd left Μόνος.

Picking her up, he walked to the middle of the path leading up to the front door. Sitting down, he set Μόνος in front of him and crossed his legs. He was determined to sit there until his Mother told him otherwise.

The sun climbed up into the sky then began to descend, but Roy still sat there, waiting. Several times throughout the day he could have sworn he saw his mother look out one of the windows, as if checking to see if he was still there.

She didn't come back out until the sun finally dipped below the horizon. When she did, instead of the dress and apron she'd been wearing earlier, she now wore leather armor over black combat clothes and her sword; Mourning Glory hung at her side. It was a long, single edged weapon with a sub-machine gun cross guard and a long cord wrapped handle.

Sharon looked down at him, still sitting with his legs crossed and pointed at Μόνος, "Do you know how to use that?" she asked,

"Not very well," he admitted.

"Pity." she said stiffly, "This is going to be harder for you."

She turned and walked toward the backyard, motioning Roy to follow. A wide open space framed with trees and sporting a large dirt patch in the middle greeted them.

Sharon walked to one side of the dirt patch and turned to face Roy, "I'm going to spar with you until you beat me."

Roy's ears twitched in surprise, "How long will we be at it?" he asked cautiously.

"I'd say that's up to you, could be hours, could be days..." She trailed off. With his night vision, Roy was able to see a dangerous light gleaming in his mother's eyes like starlight.

He sighed and resigned himself to his fate, sinking into his ready stance, coiling himself like a King Taijitu ready to strike. His mother did the same, although her form was more like that of a beowolf ready to pounce.

The tension in the air built to a fever pitch. It snapped as Roy fired a shot from Μόνος. In a flash Sharon whipped Mourning Glory out of its sheath cutting the bullet in twain. The two halves of the shot smacked into the dirt on either side of her. Roy hadn't waited to see if the shot connected. He'd chambered another cartridge and charged his mother before the bullet halves hit the ground.

Sharon watched him coolly as he brought his sword around to attack her right side. Faster than he could see, she unclipped her sword from her side and half drew it from its sheath to block the incoming blade. She whipped her foot around attempting to sweep his feet out from under him. Roy jumped and threw a kick at his mother's stomach. Sharon jumped back and drew her sword fully, flourishing it and beckoning Roy to come at her.

Roy pulled the trigger on Μόνος' handle, transforming it into its whip blade configuration. He charged again, whirling his sword so fast, the blade was a crimson blur whipping around like an angry lancer.

Sharon raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, for a second Roy could have sworn he saw pride in her eyes. She twirled her sword, deflecting the whirling blade away from her, the deflected tip sank into the trunk of one of the surrounding trees.

Roy tugged furiously at the handle attempting to dislodge it, but to no avail. Sharon charged him, feinting with Mourning Glory then striking out with her fist. The blow smashed into his cheek, cutting him.

Sharon's eyes blazed with fury, "You're holding back! You didn't even have your aura UP!" She unleashed a kick to Roy's stomach and he took it, wheezing as he fell to one knee. The cold tip of Mourning glory pressed against his neck. "I beat you, we're going again." Sharon said coldly.

Roy suddenly pulled Μόνος' trigger again, allowing the sword to be pulled away from him as it returned to its normal form. At the same time he threw himself into a backwards somersault as Sharon swung her sword at his head again. He quickly stood, sprinting toward his mother as she unleashed another massive strike as he passed.

This time, he blocked the sword with his aura and absorbed the force of the blow. Roy dove past his mother and ran to the tree. Swinging his hand into it, he blasted the tree apart and retrieved his sword. He braced himself as the rebound smacked him across the back driving him to his knees. In an instant he was back on his feet, charging back into the fray.

The fight dragged on for hours, Roy could feel his strength ebbing away as the minutes dragged on and he could tell his mother was tired too. Sweat beaded her forehead and she was breathing hard. Roy had noticed something else, she was starting to take it easy in him. His temper flared up and he gripped Μόνος harder,

"I'm sorry I never called!" He yelled.

Sharon's brow furrowed and she swung her sword out, catching Roy on the chin. His head snapped back from the impact and his teeth crashed together. His hands shot to his face, his aura had caught most of it but the impact still stung.

"I'm sorry I never wrote, you want to know why?" He twirled his sword and locked blades with his Mother "It's because I was scared, I didn't know how you'd react to me. I lost my eye and I couldn't protect my friends, I'm a failure! It's no excuse for what I did or didn't do. But I'm sorry!"

Roy disengaged his attack and drew back, breathing hard. Sharon's eyes softened by the smallest margin, regardless she twirled her sword and charged.

Roy charged as well, letting loose a wild war cry. Right before they met, Roy closed his eyes and dropped Μόνος, lowering his aura and opening himself up to attack. He clenched his teeth and waited for his mother's sword to smash into him, knocking him out of the fight.

It's all right, He thought, I deserve this...

Instead of cold steel, Roy felt his mother's arms envelope him.

"Silly boy." she whispered, "You're not a failure. You're doing your best in a harsh world. And you're my son, how can I not love you?"

Roy was speechless, he hugged his mom back and buried his face in her shoulder.

"I'm sorry" he whispered "I'm sorry."

Sharon stroked his ears, "I forgive you" She held him at arm's length "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Roy smiled sheepishly "Beacon academy mostly, but I had to teach myself a lot."

Sharon smiled "My son went to Beacon Academy? That's where your dad trained! What a coincidence!"

She picked Μόνος up and inspected her, "this is very well crafted, did you design and build it?"

Roy nodded, "I had to switch weapons recently and build this one, I'm still not great with it."

Sharon smiled "I think I can help you with that, you're sticking around for awhile right?"

Roy nodded, "Of course." he replied.

Sharon grinned and retrieved her own sword from where it lay, returning it to its sheath. She turned and walked toward the back door of the cabin, "Well, you should come in and have some dinner, I still have some questions for you."

Roy nodded and, returning Μόνος to her sheath, followed his mother inside.

 **This chapter was interesting because I had to balance the joy of reunion with the hurt of being left to dry for years. it was actually a very difficult chapter to write. I still hope Blake and Yang have a talk like this where they actually discuss how they feel! anywho...we reached 20 followers! (Pops** **Champagne) Thank you to all my followers for sticking with this through technical difficulties and a complete deletion and repost at one point. There are about 8 or 10 more chapters to go in this story, but don't worry I have the next part in the works. you haven't heard the last of these characters, not by a long shot.**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	49. Chapter 48: Over Dinner

After taking a few minutes to freshen up, Roy and his mother began to prepare supper. It was a simple affair; sweet and sour chicken with a side of salmon sushi.

"So," Sharon said, dunking a piece of sushi in soy sauce, "What's your sword's name?"

Roy looked over to where Μόνος leaned beside the door, the red metal pieces glinting in the late evening sun. "Her name is Μόνος"

Sharon smiled smugly, "Oh so it's a she is it? That reminds me, have you met any girls?"

Roy blushed slightly and rummaged in his pocket for the photo. He handed it to her,

"It's the girl on the right. Her name is Ebony." he said sheepishly.

Sharon scanned the photo and her eyes lit up, "Is that a cat tail I see?!"

Roy nodded, "Yep, she's a faunus."

Sharon smiled and passed the photo back, "I cannot wait to meet her." she said, "I have another question, you used your semblance during our fight, correct?"

Roy nodded, "Yes, Why?"

Sharon grew serious, "Was the rebound normal?" she asked.

Roy pushed a couple pieces of chicken across his plate, "No, it's not and I don't know what's causing them. My semblance basically absorbs kinetic energy and slowly replaces my aura with it. I can then channel it to different limbs to hit harder. But ever since I saw my teammates being brutalized, my aura and semblance has just been...broken. Whenever I use it, the kinetic energy rebounds."

Sharon gave him a look "interesting, I'll do what I can to help you with that."

She reached over and grabbed his hand, "I was sorry to hear about Simon. With your father away so much, he really was your stand in dad."

Roy nodded, "Yeah, I miss him. He taught me so much and to...Die the way he did…" his voice caught.

Sharon gripped his hand, "When the White Fang told me you had died, I moved away from Atlas as soon as I could. I couldn't stand to live in a country governed by the people who caused your death."

Roy nodded "I heard the answering machine message you left."

Sharon grinned, "I just said what was in here" she tapped her chest.

Roy smiled and selected another piece of chicken from his plate. The chicken's flavor was perfect, not too sour and with just the right amount of sweetness. Roy, who had been surviving mainly on rations, savored the meal like it was his last. Finally, the serving bowls were empty, washed and stowed away in the cupboards.

Roy was nodding off in an armchair in the living room when a light kiss on his forehead brought him back to full consciousness and he smiled at his mother.

"Do you have a bed I could sleep in?" he asked, causing Sharon to laugh,

"Yes, Yes I have a bed for you to sleep in, silly boy" she replied.

Sharon led him to a small room across from her own. As she opened the door, Roy blinked in surprise. Inside the room were several of his old belongings. The stuffed beowolf his mom had made sat at the head of the bed and the atlas military ship models hung from the ceiling. He crossed to the closet and opened it.

Inside were some of his old clothes. He looked back at his mother and was surprised that she looked almost guilty. "

It was hard to...to move on. I gave your things away gradually, but kept the things you liked the most; Paws…." she crossed to the bed and picked up the plush grimm "and the model of the _Edelweiss."_

Roy smiled and sat on the bed, his mother joined him there and put her arms around him. "I've missed you so much Roy."

Roy laid his head on his mother's shoulder, "I missed you too Mom."

Sharon sniffed and got up, "Anyway you should probably shower before you get into bed."

Roy nodded with a small smile, "I think you're right."

:

Roy stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, once again paying extra attention to his ears. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he walked down the hall to his room, passing his mother on the way. He entered his room and shut the door behind him.

Sighing, he noticed that his mother had set out some clothes for him; a faded pair of green sweatpants and a red flannel shirt. As he slid the sweatpants on, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he said, slipping the flannel on.

Sharon entered the room, her face troubled.

"What?" Roy asked.

Sharon took a breath and spoke, "I….I just noticed the scars on your back."

Roy looked down, "Oh, yeah." he grew red and avoided looking at his mother.

Sharon crossed her arms, "Show me."

Roy chewed his lip and, after a moment's hesitation, slowly slid the flannel off his shoulders. He heard his mother gasp, her first glimpse of the scars had been in the dimly lit hallway. Now, with the light of the bright ceiling light illuminating the room clearly, she could see every single scar as they crisscrossed their way across his body. She slowly crossed to him and placed her hand onto his back, her chilled hands causing Roy to shiver.

"What caused all of these?" she asked in a strained voice.

Roy pointed to the four long ones that stretched down his back, "These were from beowolf alpha claws." He moved his finger to the long horizontal scar across his back,"This was from a White Fang leader's sword." Turning to face her, he gestured to the round splat shaped scar, "This one was where an Atlesian Knight shot me." Lastly, after further hesitation, he removed his eyepatch, revealing his missing eye and the three scars running through it. His mother gasped again, tears glistening in her eyes. "A dust explosion caused this." Roy finished quietly, gesturing to his face.

Sharon reached out and let her hands play over the still faintly glowing scars. She sighed sadly, "it Seems like everything has taken a piece of you."

Roy nodded, "It does seem like it sometimes, but I've just learned to rolled with the punches...sometimes literally."

Sharon leaned over and pulled Roy into a tight embrace, "Your dad would be so proud of you." she whispered.

Roy stiffened slightly and let out a heavy sigh. Sharon pulled out of the hug and studied his face intently,

"Roy, what's wrong?" she asked.

Roy avoided his mother's gaze, "Did you really love dad or did you just pretend to avoid being captured?"

Sharon blinked in surprise, "Who…?" she started to say but Roy cut her off, "Raven, I spent several weeks in her camp."

Sharon sighed and rubbed her temples, "That woman is a piece of work."

She stood up and quickly left the room. Roy sat awkwardly on his bed, regretting having said anything at all. A few moments later, his mother returned holding a weathered leather book. Handing the book to Roy, she sat back down on the bed.

"Your father...was different than any other man I'd ever met," she began, "When we first encountered each other in those woods for the first time I was a foolish haughty girl and he was a headstrong huntsman fresh from Beacon."

She motioned for Roy to open the book. On the first page was a photo of his mother, she was much younger, garbed in what Roy assumed was her bandits armor, with her hair tied in a way that her ears were pinned to her head. She was sitting under a tree, Mourning Glory propped against the tree next to her and a small red bird was sitting on her finger. His mother continued,

"When he first caught me, I tried to charm my way out of capture." She snickered, the memory bringing a blush to her cheeks, "I could immediately tell that my false charms wouldn't work on him, so I decided just to give him the silent treatment."

Sharon shook her head and smiled, "At first your father stood and lectured me about how being a bandit was such a poor career choice, but after awhile he tried just asking me questions "What's your name?" and "Where were you born?" instead of feeling like I was being interrogated, I felt like he was legitimately curious." she said.

Turning the page of the book, she showed Roy several written responses. "He suggested since I was determined not to talk, to write my answers. I still refused and he just set the book by my side and sat across from me." Sharon's eyes acquired a far off look in them "he just sat there, looking at me expectantly with those big green eyes of his. Eventually I grudgingly wrote down the answers to the questions."

She sighed "He said he liked my name, though he didn't think it fit the occupation, and he asked me what Mistral was like. I told him I wouldn't answer any more questions until he uncuffed me, he laughed and said he'd untie me on one condition."

Roy looked expectantly at his mother, "and what condition was that?" he asked.

Sharon turned the page again and showed Roy a small hand sketched map with an X next to what looked like a large tree. "That I would meet him there every two weeks...just to talk. I agreed, not intending to keep my word but….something in his eyes as he unlocked the cuffs changed my mind." Sharon laughed softly to herself, "So, there I was the next time...and the next...and the time after that."

She flipped the page and showed Roy several written poems. They were very romantic and Roy made a mental note to use some of these with Ebony.

"Your father is a very gifted writer and he would write me these love poems all the time." Sharon said fondly.

Next, she showed a picture of her sitting on a tree branch, a sheepish grin on her face. Her hair was down and her large cat ears were on full display. "This picture is from the day I revealed I was a faunas. Needless to say, I'd fallen for this young huntsman, hard." she continued "I decided he deserved to know."

Roy gulped slightly, "And...how'd he take it?" he asked tentatively.

Sharon sniffed and wiped her eyes, "He said….He said that my ears were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen and begged to take a picture of me. Of course I said yes."

Sharon sniffed again and cleared her throat, "Ahem, anyway there came a time when Raven became suspicious of where I kept disappearing every two weeks, I was scared of her tailing me because I knew if she found out about Ōbān, she would kill him for sure. So, when I saw him next, I asked him to take me to Atlas with him next time he left. I explained the situation and of course as headstrong as he was, he wanted to fight...I forbid him to and he promised to take me. Two weeks later we were on the first flight bound for Atlas." Sharon blushed again, "It was hard for me to adapt to city life after spending most of my life in a bandit camp. Your father told me that I would speak loudly indoors, wander the city for long periods of time and he said I once tried to sweet talk someone out of their wallet." she cleared her throat in an embarrassed manner. "He slowly helped me grow accustomed to the ways of civilized people. Every morning we would go out for coffee and he would tell me about Atlesian etiquette."

Sharon flipped another page and showed Roy a picture of her blushing and wearing a long black dress with a plunging neckline, "This was taken on the first fancy dinner date he took me on. You should have seen us, neither of us could stop blushing. I was so excited to finally go to a place that was as nice as this restaurant."

She pointed to the picture on the neighboring page and Roy's heart skipped a beat. The picture had two people in it his time. One was Sharon, her hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes. The other was a handsome man with fiery red hair and green eyes down on one knee holding out a small box toward his mother. "This picture was two years later, we were married the very next fall and about 4 months later, one thing led to another and we had you."

Sharon turned the page revealing a picture of her holding a young Roy who was clutching Paws and smiling brightly. "He was so excited when you were born that I'm pretty sure he cried, he kept saying what a cute kitten you were."

There were tears in Sharon's eyes again and she quickly wiped them away, "When you turned 3, your father came home and told me that he'd been assigned a long term job in vacuo, he didn't want me to move with him, he said that vacuo was no place to raise a family. I didn't argue. Then he bent down in front of you and told that he was going to be gone for awhile. Then he…."

Sharon struggled to keep her voice from breaking, "Then he said that you were the man of the house while he was away. That was the last time I saw your father until he dropped by for a short visit when you turned 8. I haven't seen your father since, we talked over our scrolls every once and awhile...or at least we did until the tower at Beacon fell."

Sharon took the book back and clutched it to her chest, "You asked if I really love your father….more than life itself...Raven can believe what she wants, but your father is my soulmate and he always will be."

Roy's ears drooped in shame at his shallow question and he hugged his mother, "I'm sorry mom, I shouldn't have doubted you."

Sharon gently stroked Roy's ears, "It's okay Roy, besides…" she suddenly tickled his ears, making them twitch wildly, "I'll just teach you a lesson tomorrow during training."

Roy laughed and shied away from his mother's tickling hands,

"Fair enough!" he said with a smile. Sharon rose from the bed and walked to the bedroom door,

"Get some sleep, believe me..you'll need it." she said with a wink, closing the door quietly behind her.

Roy got into bed, setting Paws on his nightstand. He lay on his back and watched the _Edelweiss_ sway gently in the breeze from his open window. The slow gentle rocking of the airship eventually lulled Roy to sleep with one final dip of the prow.

 **This is still one of my favorite chapters and I actually intend to make a series of pictures based on the photos in the book, I think it would be nice to finally see what Oban and Sharon look like together. Are you enjoying the story? if yes, drop a review telling me what you like about it. I treasure any and all feedback.**

 **Thanks again!**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	50. Chapter 49: The Aura and The Immortal

Sharon woke Roy up bright and early the next morning.

He crawled out of bed with a groan, dressed and dragged himself towards the coffee machine.

"Oh no," his mother said, grabbing his arm and guiding him out the door, "We're going to do this the warrior's way."

She led him to a crystal clear river about a 3 minute walk from the cabin. Upon reaching the bank, she pointed at the river, "Your head, in the water, now."

Roy, blinking groggily, knelt on the sandy shore and plunged his head under the water. The sheer cold of the water drove all of the air from his lungs and, needless to say, woke him up straight away. Pulling his head from the water, Roy shivered as the water dripped down the back of his neck.

"Good and awake?" Sharon asked.

Roy nodded, "So what kind of training are we doing today?" he asked turning to his mother.

Sharon was wearing her old bandit armor once again and Mourning Glory was strapped to her waist. In her hands she held Μόνος, which she gently tossed to him.

"I think we'll go over your form and fix any major openings." she replied.

Roy nodded, "Sounds good."

Smiling, Sharon led him back to the sparring circle behind the house. After waiting for Roy to get into position, she gently drew her sword and began quizzing Roy. "Let's review the basics, a sword is a…." "

Tool" Roy replied.

"And we are to treat it…." Sharon continued.

"As an extension of ourselves." Roy finished the adage.

Sharon nodded approvingly, "Glad to see you still understand the theory, but how are you with the practice?" She suddenly charged, engaging Roy in a brief bout of sword play before she disarmed him. "A bit rusty I see." she said, picking Μόνος off of the ground and handing her back to Roy, "We'll soon fix that." she added with an evil twinkle in her eye.

For the rest of the day, the two sparred, pausing only for water, lunch and the occasional break for Sharon to teach Roy new techniques.

"Block more and go all out less." she said, "You have a tendency to leave yourself open because you think more about taking your opponent down then your own well being. That is a very unhealthy way to fight."

Roy started to fight like his mother suggested. He still lost the majority of their sparring matches, but they became far closer. As the day grew to a close, Roy collapsed onto the couch in the living room, his body sore and aching from the day's fierce training regimen.

The next morning began much like the first, with Roy being awakened by his mother and making the short walk out to the river. The majority of the day was spent cementing the techniques that Sharon had taught him the day before. Roy took to most of them like a fish to water, only a few of the more difficult techniques showing the need for further practice. At around midday, he finally succeeded in beating his mother.

"This is going far quicker then I thought it would." Sharon remarked as they took a water break, "I think we can start working on incorporating your semblance into your fighting style."

Roy chewed his lip, "I don't know if that's such a good Idea" he said.

"Why not?" Sharon asked, "A semblance is our own personal super power and from what I've heard of yours it sounds like it would go perfectly with your sword play."

Roy kicked at a patch of dirt, "My aura just hates me for some reason. It's even healing slower"

Sharon walked over to him and placed her hand on his cheek where a small cut was still bleeding steadily. She activated her semblance and Roy watched as the patch of his aura above the cut crystallized.

"My semblance allows me to heal almost any injury by concentrating the person's aura into one spot" she said "However if the aura is weakened…."

There came a series of crystalline snaps and Roy's aura fractured out from the point where his mother's hand met his cheek.

"The aura can't put up with the strain and breaks. The odd thing is that you and I have been resting for long enough that your aura should be at full strength. Yet, as you saw, it fractured anyway." Sharon's brow wrinkled with worry, "I'm going to try and reactivate your aura using mine and see if that fixes the problem."

She placed both hands on either side of Roy's face and then pressed their foreheads together, "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality" She began.

Roy recognized the aura activation rite, he'd learned about it what seemed like ages ago at beacon.

"Through this," Sharon continued, "we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee"

Roy's aura flashed on, becoming visible for a short time before slowly fading away.

"Did it work?" Roy asked,

"I'm checking." Sharon replied, her hand already on Roy's cheek. He held his breath as his aura crystalized again and winced as it fractured with a snap once more.

Sharon frowned, a look of obvious concern on her face. "This is very odd, I've never seen anything like this."

Roy shook his head, "I haven't either." he remarked.

Sharon walked in a slow circle around him, giving him a quick scan up and down.

"Roy, I hate to ask you this…" she began hesitantly "But have you ever….contemplated suicide?"

Roy blinked in surprise, "What? No! Never!" he said indignantly.

Sharon raised her hands defensively, "Calm down I'm just covering our bases." she crossed her arms, "Have you ever wished for death, even in passing?"

Roy started to answer "No" but then memories he'd been repressing flooded back to him. The fire, The screams, a flash of a blood red blade and the stench of burning flesh. One thought echoed through the memories...

"Just let me die"

He nodded slowly, "Yes, I have. It was when Adam Taurus was torturing my teammate, the despair and the pain just got to me and I….I wanted to die."

Sharon looked sadly into his eyes, "It sounds awful," she whispered, leaning forward and nuzzling Roy softly." I now know what the problem is"

Roy gulped, "and what is the problem?" he asked.

Sharon poked his chest lightly, "You've sabotaged your own aura." she proclaimed.

Roy blinked in surprise "What? How?"

Sharon placed her hands on her hips, "Your wish for death."

Roy looked confused so Sharon began to explain further. "Your aura is more than a convenient little force field, it's a manifestation of your soul. If your soul is hurting or broken, aura becomes more difficult to manifest. In your case, you wished for death, causing your aura to not only stop healing you but actively hurt you when you use your semblance. Your soul doubts your will to survive."

Roy was stunned, he had no idea that he could affect his aura like that. "How do we fix it?" he asked.

Sharon scratched one of her cat ears as she thought the question over. "Well for the rest of the day, let's see if we can get your aura re-balanced." she replied. Grasping Roy's hand, she led him to a small clearing in the woods.

The same river from earlier ran through the clearing and the trees above formed a dark canopy only allowing a single beam of sunlight to reach down from above and halo a large stump. It was about 6 feet across and was covered in a variety of mosses and wild flowers. The clearing as a whole was very still and quiet, the only noises Roy could pick out were the river and the breathing of his mother beside him.

Sharon set a hand reverently on the stump, "This stump is all that remains of the biggest tree in these woods." She said softly, "By my reckoning, it had been around since the Great War. I nicknamed him the grandfather. You can imagine my sadness when I came out after a very windy day to find that he'd finally fallen. But such is life." She sat Roy on the stump and settled in front of him, "Have you ever meditated before Roy?"

Roy shook his head, "I know Ebony did every once and awhile." he replied.

Sharon nodded approvingly, "I'm going to like this girl." she said with a small grin.

"I hope so!" Roy said, returning the grin.

Sharon crossed her legs and nestled her hands together in her lap. She looked at Roy expectantly and he hurried to do the same.

"Now, we are going to try re-balancing your aura through meditation." Sharon explained, "This should work, but due to the severity of the imbalance it will take the rest of the day."

She looked at Roy solemnly, "Are you ready to begin?" she asked. Roy nodded. "Good," his mother breathed, "Now, close your eyes. Drain all thoughts from your head and let the sound of the water sweep through your mind."

Roy did as he was bid. He did not find it easy; his head had always been a roiling maelstrom of thoughts, feelings and emotions and clearing it was akin to clearing leaves from a forest floor. But as he sat there, in the stillness listening to the water as it wound through the clearing, his mind slowly began to unwind.

As the last vestibules of thought left his mind, he thought he heard a quiet voice.

His eyes snapped open and he glanced at his mother. She was as silent and still as she had been ten minutes ago. Closing his eyes again, Roy retreated back into his self consciousness. He began to slowly repeat a mantra over and over in his head,

I want to live...I want to live...I want to live.

Suddenly, clear as day, a voice whispered beside him,

"I don't believe you."

He bolted upright, fists clenched. His ears swiveled wildly from side to side trying to ascertain where the whisper had come from. The only thing that greeted him was the chirping of crickets. It was dark in the clearing and the beam of light cutting through the tree canopy had gone from the gold of day to the pale blue of moonlight.

"Roy?"

He looked down to see his mother gazing up at him from her spot on the ground.

He looked away and took several deep breaths, striving to calm his racing heart. "It's nothing." he replied.

Sharon stood and brushed grass off of her clothing, "Well, we've been sitting here for about 4 hours." She said.

Roy blinked "Really? It only seemed like a few minutes."

Sharon laughed and playfully tugged on Roy's ear tip, "Well that's a sign that you're a natural at meditation." she said, a hint of pride in her voice, "Anyway, we should check if it worked"

Roy nodded and engaged his aura as Sharon sent a beautiful roundhouse kick at Roy's head. He blocked it with his arm and absorbed the impact.

His aura rippled and he redirected the energy to his fist and slammed it into the ground. The energy drained from his aura and he braced. Several seconds went by and nothing happened. He began to straighten up, "Hey! I think it-"

A massive force slammed into his chest, sending him flying backwards cutting his words short. He flew through the air and smacked back first into a tree. Stars danced across his vision and he struggled to breathe; all the air had been knocked clean out of him.

"Roy!" his mother sprinted over "Roy! are you okay? Any broken bones?"

Roy shook his head, "N-no I don't think so." He looked into his mother's eyes and whispered, " I think I made it worse."

 **If this was a show, I'd have a training montage in this chapter XD. What do you guys think of personal feelings and mental states influencing Aura? It was a concept I've played with for awhile and I've seen several other fan stories pull it off quite well. Let me know what you think! Many challenges still lie ahead for our young faunus. I hope you stay tuned!**

 **Thanks again!**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	51. Chapter 50: Shattered

Roy awoke the next day and gloomily made his way downstairs, the failures of the previous day weighing heavily on his mind. As he walked into the dining room he spotted a note on the table.

Sweeping it up, he read it quickly.

 _Good morning Kitten!_

 _I'm sorry the meditation didn't work yesterday. I've thought about the different ways we could try and fix your aura and I've come up with one last thing we could try. It will be very difficult, but I'm sure you can do it. Meet me at the cliffs about a mile past the clearing from yesterday.  
_

- _Mom_ Roy sighed and slipped into his coat. Grabbing Μόνος, he clipped her to his side and stepped through the back door into the crisp morning air. Raising his hood, he stepped forward, crossing the backyard and striding into the woods.

He passed the clearing that held the grandfather's stump and crossed a log that had fallen across the river before pushing further into the thicker foliage. Eventually, he broke through the tree fringe and came out onto a large flat plain that stretched out for a mile from the tree fringe.

It was a beautiful morning, with a light mist covering the plain below and the sun shining brightly, ducking in and out of the clouds as the wind pushed them through the Azure expanse. Roy lowered his hood and allowed the breezed to ruffle his cat ears.

He spotted his mother sitting on the edge of the cliff, Mourning Glory on her lap and her hair tied back in a traditional ponytail.

"Good morning Mom." he said cheerfully.

Sharon turned and smiled at him, "Come and have a seat." she said patting the ground next to her.

Roy walked over and slid down next to her. "So," he began, "What are we trying this morning?"

Sharon fiddled with Mourning Glory's handle, "We're going to try and push your aura to its limit."

Roy looked out across the plain and chewed his lip, "This isn't going to be fun, is it?" he said gloomily.

"No," Sharon said with a small chuckle, "I don't think it will be, for either of us."

Roy sighed and stood, offering his mother his hand, "Well, we should get started, the sooner we start, the sooner we can be done."

Sharon took her son's hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"Just be careful," Roy added, "If you break my aura while there's still kinetic force inside, then all of it will rebound. It could kill me."

Sharon nodded and gave Roy a wan smile. "I'll try not to" she murmured.

Roy unclipped Μόνος and set her in a safe place. Taking out his scroll, he activated its aura monitor and propped it against Μόνος' sheath.

Turning back to his mother, he nodded "Okay, I'm ready."

Sharon nodded and drew Mourning Glory. She charged him and Roy braced himself. Sharon swung out and caught Roy with a diagonal cut across his torso. Roy grunted as his aura took the brunt of it. Sharon brought her sword around across his chest, knocking him backward slightly. Roy absorbed this blow as well, causing the kinetic energy to swirl around his aura at a fever pitch.

He shot a glance at the scroll and saw that his aura was in the orange.

"That's enou-" he began to say, but his mother drove the pommel of her sword into his gut.

He coughed and sank to his knees, the air completely driven from his lungs. He frantically shot a glance at the scroll. A tiny sliver of red was the only scrap of aura he had left. The kinetic energy buzzed in ears and he looked at his hand. The veins of energy that ran across his aura were pulsing dangerously fast. Cracks started to spread from his fingertips and travel up his arm.

"Mom! Wait!" he exclaimed, staring desperately into her eyes.

Sharon stared back, the anguish clear on her face. Roy's blood ran cold as he realized that his mother new exactly what she was doing. A tear slid down her cheek,

"I'm sorry." she whispered before bringing her sword down in a vertical swipe down Roy's body.

A crystalline snap echoed across the plateau as the cracks in Roy's aura widened, stretching themselves to their breaking point.

Roy stood shakily and backed away from his mother, a look of betrayal on his face.

"W-why?" he stammered, stiffening as another crystal snap split the air and a large crack stretched itself up his face.

Tears were sliding down Sharon's face, "I'm sorry, but this was the last thing I could think of!"

Roy reached desperately out to his mother, "Mo-."

His aura shattered.

All the pent up kinetic energy smashed into him, opening wounds and shattering bones. He writhed, somehow still standing, a cry of pain tearing itself from his throat. He fell heavily to the ground, landing with a dull thud.

Roy's body was on fire, there didn't seem to be a part of him that wasn't in pain. He tried to take a breath and blood flooded his airway, causing him to choke and cough. Blood bubbled out of his mouth and splattered his face as he desperately tried to breathe. His mother was suddenly beside him, unbuttoning his coat and ripping his shirt open so she could better assess his injuries.

"Roy! Listen to me very carefully," Sharon said quietly, pressing her ear to his chest, "One of your ribs has fractured and driven into one of your lungs, you will suffocate in 3 minutes with your aura in the shape it is now." She placed her hands on either side of his face, "You're going to need to fight for your life kitten, harder than you ever have before. You must convince your soul that you want to live. Show yourself how strong your will to survive is!"

Roy tried to speak, but more blood flooded into his mouth causing him to gag and retch. His mother's face was fading into blackness and her voice was growing further and further away.

"Roy!" she cried again, gripping his hand furiously.

Roy fought against the encroaching darkness. Despite his efforts, his eye, slowly but surely, slid closed; finally blotting out his mother's face and voice completely.

"Giving up already?" a familiar voice asked.

Roy opened his eye again to find himself floating in a dark expanse. The space flickered with dark purples and blues, lit occasionally by flashes of white and red. His body felt weightless and, raising his hand to inspect it, found that it, along with the rest of his body, wasn't quite corporeal. He could see the morass of the expanse showing through his flesh.

Something flickered in the corner of his eye and he turned to see an orb of light floating before him. It was roughly 3 feet in circumference and was a swirl of purple and gold light that pulsed rhythmically almost like a heartbeat.

"Answer the question. Are you giving up already?" the voice echoed again, causing Roy to blink in surprise as he realized the voice was coming from the orb.

"Who...What are you?" he asked. His voice echoing around the expanse, "Where am I?"

The orb zipped around him, "This is the inside of your very being." it said, "and I suppose that makes me your soul."

Roy regarded the orb curiously; the voice emanating from his soul was not his own. Rather, it seemed like an amalgamation of two voices: a soothing baritone and a foreboding bass.

"You do know you are dying right now, right?" The orb asked, tersley.

"What am I doing here?" Roy asked back.

The orb flared purple for a moment and the deep voice became the dominant tone, "It's very, very rude to continue answering questions with further questions!" it snapped, "You don't even want to live, do you?"

Roy began to protest, "Of course I-"

"I don't believe you!" the orb snapped again, " **Why** do you want to live? It's not like just saying something makes it true!"

Roy's mind was in turmoil, _Why do I want to live?_ He thought.

A memory flashed across his mind and suddenly the dark expanse morphed into a bedroom. He and the orb floated in front of the the single window as the bright red light of a blood moon spilled into the room.

" _Please…_ " Ebony's voice echoed in his ears, " _Stay alive...for me?_ "

The memory filled his every sense, The smell of her hair, the touch of her hands and the sound of her voice...He looked back at the orb, "

I want to live...for her." he whispered.

Another memory flashed through his brain. The bedroom transformed into a Beacon dorm room and Roy's nose was full of familiar smells, clean sheets, the crisp Vale air coming through the open window and the confusing mix of shampoo smells coming from the small bathroom. Hunter and Dahlia's voices echoed through the room,

" _My name is Dahlia….I'm Hunter...Let's move away from the past…_ "

Roy looked at the orb once more, "I want to live for them!" he exclaimed.

Slowly, his mother's cabin faded into view, replacing the clean sheet and shampoo smells with fried rice and the gentle mustiness of his bedroom. His mother's voice echoed around him,

" _Your dad would be so proud of you_ "

Roy felt tears burning at the corners of his eyes, he'd never stopped to think about how many people would miss him if he died.

"I want to live for my mother!" he said. He clenched his fists, he still had work to do, people to save…. "And I want to live for myself!" he declared.

The orb was silent for a moment, it's color shifting back to the swirling purple and gold. "Alright then, you get a second chance."it whispered, both voices blending together. The orb faded away and Roy heard it whisper one more thing,

"Don't waste it."

The faunus started to rise upward, it felt like he'd just pushed off from the bottom of a pool. Everything went black and suddenly he was opening his eye, back on the ground and in pain again, but alive.

His aura flared to life once more, stronger than it ever had been.

Sharon lept into action, activating her semblance and crystallizing his aura around the numerous injuries. He felt his ribs healing, slowly but surely and gritted his teeth, letting out a groan as the broken rib slid out of his lung. He breathed deeply as he felt his lung close up and start functioning properly. His mother pulled him into a fierce hug.

"Thank the Gods you're alright!" She pressed her forehead to his, "I thought I'd lost your for good that time."

Roy gripped his mother like a lifeline, feeling that if he let go, he would float away. Sharon softly stroked his cat ears, "I'm sorry. It was the only way."

Roy nodded, "I'm pretty sure it worked." he said, trying to quell the shaking in his hands.

Sharon pulled him to his feet and he sucked in air as his muscles cried out in protest. His mother supported him, tucking Μόνος under her arm.

"Let's get you back home, I can imagine you must be quite sore." she said.

Roy nodded and winced as his side twinged painfully.

"I'll make something special for dinner." Sharon said, patting his back gently, "Also, we should do something about your hair."

Roy's ears flattened defensively "What's wrong with my hair?" he asked.

Sharon ruffled his ears, "It's...a little long." she said.

Roy had to agree with her on that. He hadn't cut his hair since before the vital festival and now his black hair cascaded down almost to the middle of his back.

He coughed and winced as his ribs twinged, "That's fair, just don't take to much off okay?"

Sharon crossed her finger over her heart, "Just a little off the side, I promise."

 **Wowee, What a chapter! I made Roy's soul (and by extension, everyone's souls) be like a creator's fingerprint. It mirrors what humans and faunus are, perfectly balanced in their desire to destroy and create. hence the golden and purple swirling. I hope you enjoyed this idea, it was fun to come up with. This is the 50th chapter of Tales of Remnant: Spring. and yes I know what the counter says, but if you take out the prologue this is the 50th chapter. I never thought we'd get this far and I've got you and my editor to thank.**

 **Thank you from the bottom of my heart!**

 **Until next we meet!**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	52. Chapter 51: A Letter of Hope

"Okay you can open your eyes now!" Sharon proclaimed.

Roy opened his eye to assess the damage.

"Mom!" He exclaimed.

His mother looked up from sweeping the hair clippings into a pile. "What?" She asked, sounding confused,

"I thought you said you were only gonna take a little off the side!" he groaned.

Before this unfortunate turn of events, Roy's hair had been arranged in long, almost flowing locks that fell to just below his shoulder blades. Now it had been neatly trimmed to just above his collar. His bangs, which had become a welcome shield that hid his missing eye from the world, were now swept up in a slight jutting angle. baring his eyepatch and three facial scars for all to see.

Sharon dumped the clippings in the garbage and looked him in the eye, "You were always hiding behind your hair, even before your accident. I sympathize with the desire to hide your scars, but try revealing them for a little while. If you really don't like it, your hair will grow back fast. It always has."

Roy started to argue but stopped, what she said made perfect sense. He smiled softly, "I remember why I barely argued with you, you always made more sense than I did."

Sharon winked, "That's what makes me the mother and you my offspring." The mischievous glint in her eye faded to a glimmer of a pride, "your father would have loved to see who you've become."

Roy picked at a scratch in the wooden table, "Do you really think so mom?" he asked.

His mother's eyebrow rose, "Don't you think so?" She asked.

Roy hand drifted to his eyepatch, "When I close my eyes, I see a parade of faces, each one belonging to someone hurt by my failures. I failed to reach Simon in time and he died. I failed to stop Ronin from killing the executive, they both died. My body is covered in scars from fights I've lost and worst of all I failed to protect my team when they needed me." An angry tear slowly slid down his cheek, leaving a glistening trail as it descended.

Sharon enveloped Roy in a warm hug and gently wiped the tear away, "This tear, is the reason why I know he would be."

Roy looked puzzled so she explained, "This tear represents an individual who is frustrated by their shortcomings. But, despite all you've been through, you still wish to learn from your mistakes and move forward. Someone who can retain that mindset throughout everything you done and seen; **that** is someone to be proud of. An individual who, despite all of the hardships they have endured, still stands up in defiance and fights; **that** is someone to be proud of."

She reached over and ruffled his feline ears, "And I am proud of you, my white storm and I know your father would be too."

Roy smiled, His mother's words comforted him more than any hug could.

He suddenly remembered Qrow's invitation,

"Do you get scroll reception out here?" he asked.

Sharon cocked her head, "That depends, where are you trying to call?"

"Mistral" Roy answered.

"Well" Sharon said tentatively, "We're within texting range, anything besides that, you have to walk about five miles toward the city."

Roy glanced out the window; the sun had begun to set, the bottom just starting to dip below the horizon line. "Eh, I think a text should do the trick."

Opening his scroll, he entered the number for Qrow's scroll and sent the huntsman two words;

" _I'm in."_

He slid his scroll closed with a small snap and stowed it back in his pocket. The inquiry about the signal range had answered another one of his questions. He'd been wanting to call or text Ebony to tell her that he was safe, but Sharon's words had confirmed what he'd already thought; Vale was far beyond the effective range of the scrolls at the moment. Turning back to his mother, Roy asked for a pen and paper.

Sharon blinked in surprise when Roy told her where the letter was headed, "All the way to Vale? Well, there will be a small postage fee and it will take about a week to get there."

Roy nodded, "I figured as much. I still want to send something telling Ebony that I'm safe." He hung his head slightly, "She's probably worried sick."

Sharon patted Roy's shoulder, "I understand," she said softly, "Everything you need should be in my little roll-top desk in the sun room."

Roy thanked his mother and retreated to the aforementioned sun room. The room was of medium size with a large window that looked out into the backyard. The walls were a light bluey-grey color and, with the sun gently sinking into the west, the lovely oranges and reds shone through the window and lit the walls a lovely dusky pink.

The roll-top desk sat against the wall perpendicular to the window. Roy walked over to it and sat down on the comfy cushioned seat. Opening the desk Roy pulled out a sheet of paper and a fountain pen.

 _It's been awhile since I've written a letter._ He thought, _I hope my handwriting hasn't degraded too much._

After several attempts, he finally succeeded in getting down everything he wanted to say. Setting the pen down, Roy lightly blew on the letter to dry the ink. Satisfied that the ink was sufficiently dry, Roy took a few minutes to read the letter once more.

 _My Dearest Ebony,_

 _I'm writing this letter to let you know that I've arrived safely in Mistral and am currently staying at my mother's house. The journey here was...difficult to say the least. I met friends old, (Sierra says hello.) and new. I've traveled halfway across Remnant from Vale to Atlas and finally Mistral. I ran into some enemies here and there and I'll have more scars when next we meet. You know me; always getting into trouble. My mom is...so great. She forgave me and accepted me back without question. It turned out better than I could have hoped._

 _My fighting has gotten better, you can thank my mom for that. Oh! That reminds me, I have a new friend to introduce you to when I see you next. She has a sharp wit and is fast as lightning. Speaking of seeing you, is Lia well enough to travel? If yes, I would love it if you could come to Mistral and join last few months have given me a lot to think about including thinking more about us. Ebony, you are and have always been, the one thing that kept me going throughout this journey. I think of you when I wake up and I fall asleep whispering your name. I love you so much Ebony and being parted from you is like living without the ability to walk.  
You complete me._

 _Until next we meet my Love._

 _Love,  
_

 _-Roy_

Roy nodded approvingly at his letter. It certainly wasn't perfect, but it was what he'd been feeling.

"Well, you certainly take after your father, you little charmer."

Roy nearly jumped out of his skin as his mother's voice came from beside him. "M-Mom!? How did you get in here?" he exclaimed.

His mother twiddled her ears at him, "Through the door." she said smugly.

Roy rolled his eyes, "Har-de-har." he said grumpily.

His mother ruffled his ears, "Don't be embarrassed, you were engrossed in your letter. And we cat faunus are naturally light on our feet."

Roy couldn't help but smile at his mother as he folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. "How many stamps do I need?" he asked.

"One." his mother replied, "This Mistrali one." she pointed to a medium sized stamp with a miniature portrait of the capital city on it. "Here, I'll write my address on it" Sharon offered.

She quickly jotted down the address and then handed the letter back so Roy could write the address of the house the remnants of team SHDE were staying at. He quickly jogged out to the mailbox and placed the letter inside. As he was walking back, he felt his scroll vibrate. Sliding it open, he read the message.

" _Welcome aboard, try not to die right away. Meeting at Haven academy day after tomorrow. Be there."_

Roy's heart picked up speed and he grinned. He hadn't expected things to move so quickly. His mother must have noticed his happier expression as he walked into the house. "What's got you all grinning today?" she asked playfully.

Roy explained everything that Qrow had told him in detail and showed his mother the message. A flicker of sadness played across her face and Roy hurried to reassure her, "I'll be back before you know it."

Sharon nodded quickly, "I know, I know. I'm just worried about you is all."

Roy put his arm around his mother's shoulders, "Don't be." he whispered, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Sharon smiled and, gripping Roy's hand, she led him into the sun room. She sat him down in one of the wicker chairs facing the window and pulled the writing desk chair over to sit across from him.

"Tell me about Ebony." She said.

Roy turned pink, "What would you like to know?" he asked sheepishly.

Sharon grinned, "Have you had your first kiss? Have you nuzzled her yet? Where was your first date? Those types of things."

Roy's cheeks went from pink to red. "W-well" he began "we have had our first kiss…"

Sharon's eyes lit up, "Details! Details!" she urged.

Roy was slightly taken aback by his mother's enthusiasm, "Are most parents this excited over a child's romance life?" he asked, struggling to hide a grin.

"Probably not," Sharon huffed, "but I'm not most parents."

Roy laughed at that, "True, most parents wouldn't have taught their kids to escape basic grapple holds at age 7."

His mother shrugged, "What can I say? I was ahead of the curve."

After a little more cajoling, Roy relented and told his mother about his and Ebony's first kiss,

"You nuzzled her out of the blue?" Sharon asked, slightly aghast, "What were you thinking?"

Roy attempted to placate his mother, "I wasn't thinking. We shared our first kiss a week later though."

Sharon narrowed her eyes slightly "You're just lucky she didn't slap you."

Roy nodded, "Believe me, I know that more than anyone."

He leaned back in the wicker chair and gazed out of the window. The sun had all but set, leaving a fringe of pink along the dark horizon. The moon had risen, each fragment shining brightly in the night.

Roy turned back to his mother, "Well?" he asked.

Sharon looked puzzled, "Well what?" she asked in return.

Roy rolled his eyes, "What was you and dad's first kiss like?"

Sharon smiled and stared wistfully out the window. "It happened on our 27th visit. It was the same day I revealed I was a faunus. He was fascinated by my ears and begged me to touch them. I agreed on the condition that I could kiss him." Sharon laughed to herself, "You should have seen his face! Red as a summer sunset. But, to my surprise, he agreed."

Roy rolled his eyes, "So basically your first kiss was just fulfilling his end of a bargain." He said, bemused.

Sharon twiddled her ears at Roy again, "Maybe, except I'd taught him several faunus customs once I'd revealed my ears. After we kissed, he nuzzled my cheek." Sharon raised her hand to her cheek as if reliving the moment. "I couldn't speak, I knew I'd been developing feelings for him...but when he, a human, decided to show affection to me in that way...it sealed the deal for me."

Roy smiled, if he wasn't sure about his parents' relationship before, this last story told him everything he needed to know. He leaned over a hugged his mother "Thank you for telling me these stories" he said.

Sharon held her son tightly "You're welcome kitten" she purred.

Roy sat back in his chair and gazed at the moon shining brightly in the sky. His eyes drifted shut as the fatigue from the day swept over him and before he knew it, he was curled up fast asleep in his chair.

 **A gentler chapter to cool down to before things pick up again. I've always enjoyed the chemistry I created for Roy and his mother. Speaking of Sharon, she's such a fun character to me XD, just that "I'm not most parents montra" is so fun to work with.  
**  
 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	53. Chapter 52: Off to War

Roy awoke the next morning to see daylight pouring in through the sun room window. His mother, deeming it wiser to leave him be, had covered him with a blanket sometime during the night.

As he straightened his back, Roy discovered a very unpleasant crick in his neck. A crick he quickly alleviated with a brisk twist of his head. Standing up, he stretched and winced as yet another loud crack came from his back. Turning, he exited the sunroom and made his way into the kitchen. His mother was there, making breakfast; oatmeal with raisins and honey.

"Morning sleepy head." she greeted him with a smile.

"Morning mom" he replied.

Walking over to where he'd left his scroll, he picked the device up and slid it open to view any recent messages. The only new message was from Qrow and turned out to be quite short,

 _"Things moving quicker, meeting tonight. Details when you get here."_

Roy slowly slid the scroll closed. Walking over to his mom, he cleared his throat. "Mom?"

Sharon turned around "Yes Roy?"

Roy fidgeted for a moment before speaking, "I'm leaving...Today."

Sharon's face fell, "But...I thought the meeting wasn't until tomorrow."

Roy silently showed her the message. Sharon sighed and turned back to the oatmeal she'd been making on the stove,

"I hate to see you go so soon." she said quietly, "But I know the world needs you more than I do."

Roy moved to his mother's side and gripped her hand, "I'll come back, I doubt we're going to leave Mistral that soon." he said, leaning his head on her shoulder.

Sharon raised her hand and softly touched her son's cheek, her fingers playing lightly around the scar on his cheek. "I wonder if this is how our ancestors felt when sending their children if to fight in the great war."

Roy softly pressed into his mother's touch, nuzzling her hand playfully. "Probably, but you've taught me to fight. I think I'll be just fine."

Sharon offered him a small smile, "Yeah, I think you will be too."

:

Two hours later, Roy stood in front of the cabin, Μόνος buckled to his waist. His mother stood on the path facing him,

"Well," she said "take care of yourself...Don't die...Oh! And you'd better write me!"

Roy rolled his eyes "Mom, This isn't goodbye. Once the meeting is over, I'll be back. So don't worry"

Sharon fidgeted with her hands, "Worried? Me? No!" she laughed nervously and sighed, "You will come in one piece okay?" Roy nodded and hugged his mother tightly. Sharon returned the hug fiercely "Because you'd better." she growled. As they separated, she scrubbed at her eyes.

Roy gave his mother one more smile before he turned and walked away from the house, losing sight of it as he rounded the bend in the trail.

It was 2:00 in the afternoon before Roy made it back to the capital. He'd neglected to ask Qrow where they were meeting, so he sent him a message asking about the location. As he waited for a response, he ran to the inn to pick up his helmet and check out of the room, using the last lien he had on him to pay for the few nights he'd been at his mother's house.

"I had half a mind to sell the helmet." the barkeep joked with a grin.

Roy picked up the helmet and cradled it, "I'm glad you didn't, this helmet is very precious to me."

The barkeep nodded, "Well you'll owe me then." He said causing Roy to chuckle.

Roy's scroll suddenly chirped from his coat pocket, "Sorry, I need to take this." he said apologetically.

The barkeep laughed "I understand, have a good day kid"

Roy raised his hand in farewell and exited the inn. Slipping his scroll out of his pocket, he slid it open and found that Qrow had sent him the address for a residence on a higher tier of the city.

In the city Mistral, the different tiers denoted social status, with the rich and comfortably well off residents living higher in the city and the middle class and poor living lower down. A large platform in the middle of the city acted as an elevator, transporting people to and from the different tiers.

As Roy ascended the city, he could see the changes almost immediately. When he'd first arrived, he'd been warped into a bar on a tier ten floors down from the top. The buildings were close together and a tad run down. Now that he was beginning into move toward the first tier he could see the buildings being spaced out and improving in quality. When he reached the second tier it became exclusively residentials.

The address led Roy to the east side of the tier where he was greeted by a large house. Walking up to the the porch, he raised his hand and knocked briskly on the door. After a couple moments the door cracked open and a pair of aqua eyes under a mop of red hair peeked around the door.

"Um," Roy began,"is Qrow Branwen here?"

The aqua eyes looked him up and down, lingering on Μόνος and sweeping up to his face. "Maybe?..." A female voice said warily.

Roy sighed, the girl was obviously going to be difficult. "Is he or not?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

The eyes narrowed, "What's the password?"

Roy blinked in surprise, "He didn't say anything about a password" he said sheepishly.

"Ooh tough break." the voice said, "Looks like you're not getting in then."

Roy struggled to keep his temper in check, "Look, if Qrow is there can you tell him that Roy Arashi is here?"

The eyes slid away from the crack in the door and Roy heard the sound of feet rapidly retreating from the door. Minutes passed and the girl hadn't returned. Roy was just about to pull out his scroll and call Qrow himself, when the door swung open again, revealing Qrow standing there with a slightly amused look on his face.

"Is this the "intruder" you were talking about?" he asked the girl standing behind him. Now that she wasn't hiding behind the door, Roy could finally get a good look at her.

She was shorter than Roy by about 3 inches and had red hair that fell to just above her shoulders. Her eyes were a nice shade of aqua green and twinkled with an inner light.

"Yeah that's him!" she said "Do you need me to break his legs?"

Qrow rolled his eyes, "That won't be necessary" He turned to Roy with an apologetic look on his face,"You'll have to forgive Nora" he said "she can be a little...difficult."

Shutting the door behind him, he stepped out onto the street to talk to Roy. "You know," the huntsmen said with a chuckle, "she described you as a "Pirate cat." Roy's hand unconsciously flashed to his eyepatch as Qrow continued, "I'll admit I was pretty happy when you sent me that text." The huntsmen took out his flask and took a drink, "Allies are pretty hard to come by these days."

Roy nodded, "Oh believe me, I know."

Qrow nodded back, "Right, let me fill you in on what's happening tonight, We've been trying to get some help from the guardian of the Haven Relic; Leonardo Lionheart. He's been noticeably stalling, that is until yesterday he sent me a message saying he wanted to meet. Something doesn't feel right about his abrupt change of heart, so I need you to be our perimeter guard. You will keep watch around Haven academy and if anything happens I need you to tell me immediately."

Roy nodded, "Understood." he said, "What exactly are you expecting?"

Qrow chuckled darkly, "I wish I could say for sure" Qrow motioned to the house, "We're going to have lunch soon, want to join?"

Roy quickly shook his head, "I've...uh... got other places to be." he said quietly.

Qrow nodded, "I can respect that. Meet us here at 6:30 sharp."

Roy threw a mock salute "Yes sir."

Qrow turned to go back in the house, "Get out of here...and don't call me sir."

Roy grinned and started to turn away, but something at the back of the house caught his eye. A wide veranda that looked out to the east set on a cliff that jutted out from behind the house. Roy walked out onto it and felt the breeze tickle his ears. The view was wonderful and it was very peaceful, an immense feeling of calm engulfed him. Setting helmet down, Roy sank down into a cross legged meditation stance. Nestling his hands in his lap, Roy allowed his breathing to slow and gently drifted into the calm sea of meditation.

:

"Hey Kid."

Roy was brought out of his trance by someone shaking his arm. He opened his eyes to find Qrow standing above him.

"Is it time?" Roy asked.

"Yeah," Qrow replied "I thought you said you had places to be."

Roy avoided Qrow's eyes, "I...well...I didn't-" he stammered.

"Feel like being around other people?" Qrow finished.

Roy nodded sheepishly.

"Eh, I know how that can be." The elder huntsman pulled out his flask and took a swig. "You're a loner, you work better alone."

Roy nodded. "Maybe." he stated simply.

Qrow screwed the lid back onto his flask "Are you ready?" he asked, turning to Roy.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Roy replied, punching his fist into his other hand with a meaty snack.

Qrow smiled grimly and turned to walk back into the house. "Good, pray no one dies tonight." he paused with his hand on the doorknob "You're praying man, right?" he shot over his shoulder.

Roy nodded, "I am now."

Qrow grunted and walked into the house, "Come on short stack, best not keep Leo waiting."

 **Well, there seems to be something rotten in the state of Mistral. How will Roy play into these events? who knows? WHO knows. Sorry for the short chapter, the next one will be longer. I promise.**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	54. Chapter 53: Old Foes and New

Roy watched Qrow and his group wind their way through the streets of Mistral's first tier.

His introduction to the rest of the group had been awkward to say the least. He hadn't really been friends with them during his time at Beacon, more passing acquaintances at best. He'd only ever talked to Weiss directly and had only fought against Lie Ren in the Vytal festival tournament. He was actually relieved when Qrow had finally announced that it was time to leave.

Rather than stick with the group, Roy had opted to follow closely behind. Deciding to make a game of using street corners and rooftops to keep himself concealed from the party's view. No one was any the wiser of his presence and the walk to Haven was quite uneventful.

Upon reaching the school grounds, Qrow led the students to the Quad; a large courtyard that led up to Haven's great hall. Two large, cross-continental towers stood along the sides of the courtyard and a small fountain bubbled merrily away in the center. Roy waited until the group to reach the doors of the great hall before swiftly scaling the right hand tower, running up the red support struts and then using the small windows as hand holds.

He finally reached the small observation deck a short distance from the top. His hand on Μόνος' hit, Roy scanned the surrounding area, keeping his eyes peeled for any hint of danger. To his night vision, the area appeared well lit, with the lamps and the light spilling from the great hall appearing as very bright white patches.

He'd barely been keeping watch for a minute or so when he saw movement in the courtyard. A large man wearing a long olive green coat strode across the quad heading for the grand hall. Roy narrowed his eyes and reached for the button on his helmet, set on using the scroll installed to contact Qrow.

"Boo."

he whirled around at the sound of a female voice. As he completed his panicked spin, something caught him in the face sending him pitching backwards over the rail of the observation deck of the tower. The wind whistled in his ears as he fell and he desperately tried to twist his body around as to land on his feet.

He failed, landing heavily on his back and feeling his helmet bounce off the pavement. He desperately scrabbled back to all fours and the next thing he knew, the cold steel barrel of a gun was being pressed into the back of his head.

"Supreme leader!" the same female voice barked, "What should we do with this one?"

A pair of red soled shoes entered his vision, "Well, well, look who couldn't take a hint."

Roy's blood rain cold and the scar across his back throbbed, he knew that voice.

"What should I do with you?" Adam Taurus asked. Grabbing one of Roy's cat ears, he twisted Roy's head backwards.

"Supreme leader?" a deep voice came from behind Roy to his left, "My colleague and I have a bit of...unfinished business with this turncoat."

Adam was silent for a moment, clearly wanting to keep his prey to himself. "Fine, you can have your fun." he scoffed and released Roy's ear.

Roy was yanked to his feet and next thing he knew, a giant fist collided with his head, sending him flying away into the surrounding woods. He slammed into a tree, the impact driving the air from his lungs. His body fell limply to the ground and he struggled to draw the air back into his lungs.

He staggered to his feet, checking his ribs to make sure none were broken. Heavy footfalls caused him to look up at his attacker. Despite his predicament, Roy couldn't help but grin, "W-wow...long time no see guys."

Standing before him were the bull and lemur faunus. It seemed so long ago that he'd broken the lemur's nose and the bull had broken his rib. Despite the time that had passed, the two faunus didn't look very different. The bull was still very, very tall and broad and the lemur was still thin and wiry.

Having regained his breath, Roy stood slowly and faced the two of them.

"I must say, the crooked nose look really works for you." he said with a malicious smile.

The lemur returned the smirk, "I've been waiting to repay you for this." he said, pointing to his nose.

Roy turned to the bull, "and you're here to do most of the work I presume?" he asked, bemused.

The bull gave him a toothy grin and cracked his knuckles. Roy sighed and, with one deft movement, unbuckled Μόνος from his side and dropped her gently to the turf. If he remembered rightly, he had been more than a match for them even back then. She wouldn't be needed. He struck his fighting pose; one hand held out open palmed, the other clenched near his chin.

"Before we get to it," he said, "I would like to know your names."

The bull puffed out his chest and poked his stubby thumb to his sternum. "The name's Pelagius." he said heartily.

Roy nodded and turned to the lemur, "and you?"

The lemur drew a bladed weapon from a sheath at his side. It was about 2 feet long and had a steel barrel running along the top of the serrated blade. He twirled it skillfully, "Ratan." he said tursly.

Roy grinned, "Well, now that we're properly acquainted, I can-"

Pelagius charged, cutting off his sentence. The bull was wearing a pair of metal gloves with two 6" claws curving off of each. He took a wild swing at Roy who swayed gracefully to the side, allowing the bull to charge past him. He straightened up in time to see Ratan charge him, swinging his blade.

Roy deflected or blocked the attacks, using his bracers to maneuver the lemur's nasty serrated blade away from his body. He heard the tramping of feet behind him and sent his foot into Ratan's chest sending him staggering back. Temporarily reprieved from the lemur's attacks, Roy spun to face Pelagius again. Instead of slashing at Roy, the bull brought both of his massive fists down onto the young faunus.

Roy activated his semblance and blocked the blow, the impact driving him to one knee. The lemur took that moment to recover and charged Roy with a yell. Roy waited until the Ratan grew nearer, then, while still keeping the Pelagius' crushing blow at bay, struck out with a back handed blow that sent the faunus flying backwards.

Releasing Pelagius' arms , Roy somersaulted backwards out of harm's way. The bull's strike left a small crater in the ground where he'd just been. Roy charged Pelagius and sent a a kick swinging into the bulls face, it felt like kicking a brick wall. Roy dropped to the ground and swung his fist into Pelagius' gut. Despite a slight "oof" the bull seemed unfazed, causing Roy to rapidly retreat.

Several bullets smacked into his aura, causing Roy to grunt. Turning, he charged toward Ratan who was standing and firing his weapon at his distracted opponent. As Roy neared him, Ratan faked a swipe to the left and the flicked his blade sideways. Roy's aura absorbed most of the swipe, but a few serrated teeth found their way through and nipped at his side. Roy spun and kicked out sending Ratan's blade sailing away from his body.

Ratan hissed out a curse word and stabbed out at Roy, the blade nearly taking the younger faunas' ear off as it shot past his head. Re-channeling the kinetic force in his aura, Roy swung his hand into the lemur's sternum with a yell. As it connected, an odd crunching noise came from Ratan's chest and the impact threw the faunus backwards into the trees and out of sight.

Roy squeezed his fist shut in discomfort; he was ninety percent sure he'd felt bone giving away under his fist. Shaking his head to clear it, Roy turned around to see the Pelagius' claws swinging toward him. He barely dodged the swing and the claws still scored a shallow cut along his ribs. He flipped away and charged Pelagius again. First, he swung his hands into the bull's ears, causing Pelagius to howl in pain. Next Roy swung his hand into Pelagius' throat, fracturing his larynx. The large faunus staggered backwards, clutching his throat and mouthing soundlessly at his opponant. Roy gritted his teeth and rushed the bull one final time. He lept up and swung his fist as hard as he could into Pelagius's cheek. A crack sound echoed through the woods and the bull's eyes turned up into his head. He fell forward like a tree and crashed face down onto the forest floor, out cold with a fractured cheek.

Roy was breathing hard and had bruised his knuckles. Besides that and the cut along his ribs, he was basically unharmed. He suddenly remembered Ratan and ran toward where he'd seen the lemur fall. The young faunus began casting around in the darkness, searching for his fallen foe.

His ears picked up a sound he'd been hoping not to hear; the wheezing gasp of a person struggling for air. He followed the sound until he found Ratan, lying on his back, with blood trickling from his mouth with every gasp.

Roy ran to the wounded faunus and dropped down next to him, "Damn" he swore to himself. He really hadn't meant to hit Ratan as hard as he had, but the damage was done. Ratan was obviously suffering from a shattered sternum and multiple shattered ribs, the wheezing signalling that the damage was putting pressure on the faunus' lungs. Roy slid his coat off, folded it into a pillow and placed it under Ratan's head.

"Come on...stay with me." he whispered.

Ratan's breathing was shallow, sweat beaded his forehead and Roy did the best he could to make sure he was comfortable. He sat next to the lemur and attempted to call for help on his helmet scroll. All he heard was a high pitched buzzing noise and he cursed as he realized the fall must have damaged the scroll components.

A gun barrel suddenly touched the back of his head and Roy stiffened.

"Don't move." the female voice hissed, "Give me one good reason I shouldn't blow your head off right now."

Roy made sure to stay stock still as he replied, "Well, I'm trying to save your comrade, I'm the only one that can make sure he gets the help he needs...need I go on?"

The gun barrel shifted slightly "well? Why aren't you calling for help?" the voice asked.

"Because **someone** …" Roy stressed the word "Damaged my helmet communicator when they knocked me off the tower."

A small thump came from his right and a scroll slid into view. Reaching slowly over, Roy swept up the device and started punch in the numbers for the Mistrali emergency service.

"Thank you" he whispered, before the operator picked up.

The call was relatively short, with Roy detailing Ratan's injuries and requesting an emergency vehicle at his location. Having finished the call, Roy slid the scroll back to its owner. "There, they should be here any-"

his sentence was interrupted as a horrible gagging cough racked Ratan's frame. Blood spewed from his mouth and he began thrashing.

"No!" Roy cried. Jumping forward, he hastily undid the fasteners on Ratan's uniform. The lemur's flailing fist collided with his head and he saw stars,

"Whoever you are!" he barked at the girl, "I need you to hold him down!"

The girl ran forward and held Ratan still while Roy placed his ear against the Lemur's chest. His heart sank as he heard a horrible gurgle coming from Ratan's lungs.

"No no no NO!" he yelled, slamming his fist onto the turf. He desperately gripped the dying faunus' shoulders, "Come on Ratan, stay with me!" Ratan eyes locked with Roy's, they were frantic and scared.

"Yes! Keep looking at me, come on!" Roy encouraged.

Ratan let out one last rattling breath and stop struggling. Roy watched in horror as the light slowly drained out of Ratan's eyes, leaving them empty and sightless.

"No!" Roy cried shaking the lemur, "No no, Please NO!"

He released Ratan's lifeless form and crawled backwards away from him.

"Y-You killed him." the girl stammered.

Roy raised his blood stained hands in front of his eyes, "I….I didn't m-mean too." he almost choked on his words. The lump in his throat made it hard to speak.

Turning towards the girl, he finally had a chance to see what she looked like. His eyes found her feet first and what he saw really took him aback.

Her feet where just like wolf feet, except larger and set in a way so that she could stand upright. Her legs were wrapped in linen wraps up to her knees and above this were a pair of brown trousers. Her torso was wrapped in a tattered black shawl, under which she wore a black compression shirt. A large sniper rifle was slung over her shoulder; the weapon was almost a full foot taller then she was. Leather bracers adorned her lithe arms and fingerless gloves covered her hands. The girl had been wearing a mask, but had discarded it in her rush to Ratan's aid. The girls eyes were a vibrant shade of ice blue and her hair was grey with brown highlights.

 _Just like…._ "Lunaris?" he asked dumbfounded.

The girl looked at him, recognition dawning in her eyes

"R-Roy?" she gasped. Fear flashed across her face, "But You killed….Why…?" she began backing away from him.

Roy jumped up and reached out to her, "No, please!" he begged, "I didn't mean…."

"DON'T TOUCH ME MURDERER!" Lunaris yelled.

Turning away, she scooped up her mask and ran into the woods. Roy tried to follow, but his legs turned to jelly and he slid to the ground. It felt as though all the energy in his body was draining away, leaving him unable to stand. His gaze found Ratan's corpse once more and suddenly his heart began to beat faster and faster.

"I...didn't…."

His hands were shaking and a cold sweat had broken out on his forehead. He clutched his chest as he began to hyperventilate, breath rushing in and out of his lungs faster than it ever should. Black spots danced across his vision and he struggled to slow his breathing, but to no avail. His body felt foreign to him, like he was a passenger on some terrible ride.

"Mean...to..."

His body could take no more of the frantic rush of breath and his consciousness faded to utter blackness.

 **Wowee! sorry for the delay with this chapter, my editor had a slew of overnight shifts, Anywho old characters and a new character! I will admit that of all of my character designs, Lunaris Lupis is still my favorite. Did you enjoy the chapter? I hope so! we have a couple more chapters before the ending and I hope you'll stick around!**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	55. Chapter 54: Some Wounds are Hard to Heal

Sharon Arashi was worried about her son.

For so long she'd thought she'd lost him forever, and now that he was back, she was scared to lose him again.

The call she received the morning after he left didn't help matters. She was sitting at the breakfast table, watching her TV, where a news reporter was detailing an attempted attack on Haven Academy.

Suddenly, her scroll chimed. She hurriedly scooped it up and slid it open. Her brow furrowed, confused; the message was from a number she didn't recognize. She began to read:

 _Dear Mrs. Arashi,_

 _This is the Haven Academy infirmary staff. We are pleased to inform you that your son will be released from our care this morning at 10:00 AM. You may come and collect him at your nearest convenience._

 _Thank you for your patience and have a good day._

Sharon dropped her scroll and lept up, snatching up her coat and sword. Swiftly strapping Mourning Glory to her side, she quickly locked the door and took off jogging down the road toward Mistral.

 _Come on Sharon,_ she thought to herself, _He's fine, they said they were releasing him, he can't be hurt that badly...Right?_

By the time she reached the city, she was breathing hard and sweat dripped steadily down the side of her face.

 _Damn Sharon,_ she thought, bemused, _You are getting old._

She stepped onto the central lift and took the time to catch her breath as the lift ascended to the first tier. Having adequately recovered her breath, Sharon took off running toward the school. She reached the main school building, slowed to a walk and stepped inside.

The cool air of the schools AC washed over her as she walked forward into the foyer. To her left, was a small reception desk and sitting, or rather sleeping behind it was the receptionist. She was a bit on the shorter side with black hair pulled back in a ponytail and thick round glasses sitting crooked on her nose, having slid down as she dozed.

Sharon cleared her throat, "Ahem, excuse me?"

The receptionist started awake and straightened her glasses, "My apologies ma'am!" she said hurriedly, "Is there something can I help you with?" Her eyes swept up and down the faunus, lingering on Mourning Glory before sliding up to the two large cat ears on her head.

Sharon cleared her throat again and nodded, "Yes. I received a message this morning that my son Roy was being released from your infirmary this morning?"

The receptionist's eyes refocused on her screen as she tapped several keys on her keypad, "Roy...Roy...uhhh no Roy here." she said.

Sharon face palmed mentally, "Oh I'm sorry, Shiroi Arashi?"

The girl retyped the name, "Ah yes here he is! I'll show you the way." Sharon nodded her thanks and followed the girl down the hall.

"By the way," Sharon said as they walked, "How did you know he was my son?"

The receptionist handed Sharon a scrap of paper with his name scribbled on it. "We asked him to write his name and we did a search for anyone with his last name in the surrounding arena." The girl muffled a large yawn with her hand, "Sorry for being asleep," She apologized as they walked, "I was called in late last night and I've been here ever since. The attack was a rough one, we're going to have to make extensive repairs to our great hall, and Professor Lionheart...Well, never mind that."

The two women came to a stop outside a large wooden door.

"Here we are." the receptionist said, opening the door and holding it for Sharon.

Sharon nodded her thanks and walked into the room. It was a long room with cream colored walls and large rectangular windows. Beds were laid out in front of every window, made up with green comforters and pillowcases that matched the walls.

Sharon scanned the beds, finally catching sight of a pair of cat ears poking up above the covers on the bed in the far right corner.

She pointed at the bed and looked at the receptionist. The girl nodded and bowed slightly, "I'll leave you two alone. Oh, our doctor may want to have a word with you."

With that, the receptionist turned and exited the infirmary. Sharon sighed and walked over to Roy's bed. She knelt down beside her son's bed and gently placed her hand on his head, "I'm here Kitten, Everything's-"

Roy flinched violently and curled into a tighter ball under the covers, causing Sharon to slowly pull her hand back.

"Oh Kitten." She sighed sadly.

She heard footfalls behind her and turned to see a tall man in a long white coat striding towards her from across the infirmary. He had short black hair and kind brown eyes.

"Good evening ma'am," He began in a soft monotone voice. "Would I be correct in assuming you are this young man's mother?"

She nodded, "Yes. Could you tell me what happened?"

The doctor placed his hands in his pockets and began to explain, "Physically, He's fine, the only injuries we could find was severe bruising on his knuckles and a shallow cut along his ribs."

Sharon's brow furrowed, "You said physically fine," she began "is there something else wrong?"

The doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "That is the question. Since we found him, he's not said a single word outside of answering yes or no questions. He's stayed curled up like that unless he has to use the restroom and we had to sedate him last night so he could sleep."

Sharon listened solemnly, "Do you know what might have caused this?" she asked after the doctor had finished.

"One explanation could be that he's suffering from a form of shell shock," the doctor said, "When you're the resident doctor in a battle school infirmary, you encounter this sort of thing once and awhile."

Sharon sighed and looked sadly back at her son, "I am free to take him home, correct?" she asked.

The doctor nodded "indeed, I think what he needs is rest and time to process. Take him home and just keep an eye on him, call me if his condition worsens."

Sharon nodded, "Thank you, doctor….?" she trailed off, realizing she had neglected to ask the doctor his name.

The man smiled, "Oh, of course. I'm Dr. Oum, it's a pleasure to meet you."

:

It had been a struggle to get Roy out of bed, but Sharon had managed it and gently led him through the winding streets of the city and out onto the dirt road that led home.

The only thing Roy registered during the walk back to the cabin was the feeling of his mother's hand in his. When they made it home, Sharon sat him in the sun room and covered his legs with a blanket.

"I'll make some tea." She said softly, "Would you like some?"

Roy nodded dully and Sharon kissed him softly between the ears before left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Roy stared sadly out the window at the sun shining brightly on a new day.

 _It's a morning Ratan will never see._ Roy thought bitterly, _Because of me._

Roy gripped his chair arm tightly, causing it to creak loudly under the pressure.

The sun room door opened softly and his mother returned carrying a tray of tea. Setting it on the small table between the two chairs, she poured Roy a cup and handed it to him. The cool ceramic mug was brown with a pattern of pink flower petals on it, part of a set that Roy's father had bought his mother for their first anniversary.

The chill of the ceramic was slowly overpowered by the heat of the tea and the warmth spread through his hands into his body, trying valiantly to chase away the chill that had gripped him since the night before. He took a sip of the tea; a lemon blend, and felt the lump in his throat grow slightly smaller.

Sharon poured herself a cup of the tea and sat in the neighboring chair. She reached over and gripped his hand, "Do you want to talk about last night?" she asked softly. |

Roy gripped his teacup, "I-I murdered someone." he said quietly.

Sharon gripped his hand tighter, "Was it in self-defense?" she asked.

Roy turned his head to look in her direction, "Does it even matter?! He's dead!" he snapped.

Sharon stared levelly at him "It does matter if you didn't kill him in cold blood. He was trying to take your life and you defended yourself."

Roy looked away from his mother, the lump in his throat had returned and his hands began to shake violently. A loud clatter made him flinch and his stocking feet were suddenly soaking wet. Looking down he faintly registered that he'd dropped his teacup, drenching his feet in tea. Sharon leapt into action, swiftly picking the teacup and using the blanket to mop up the excess tea.

"Mom?..." Roy choked out, causing his mother to look up. "I...Didn't mean to kill him," tears slid down his cheek, "I just l-lashed out…"

His mother set the teacup down and enveloped her son in her arms, "Shhh, it's okay Kitten, it wasn't your fault." she tried to comfort him.

"But it was!" Roy sobbed, "If I'd just fought normally, without showing off, He'd be battered and bruised, but he'd still be alive."

Sharon stroked his head, "Roy...tell me what happened." she said quietly.

Despite his tears, Roy managed to tell his mother what had occurred, sparing no details. As he finished, Roy gripped his mother like a lifeline. "The feeling of his ribs giving way beneath my hands…" he shuddered.

Sharon stroked his back, "Don't think about it anymore, what's done is done and we can't change the past."

A few minutes later, Roy released his mother from the hug and sat back in his chair.

"Sorry...About the tea" he apologized.

His mother ruffled his ears affectionately. "It's okay, at least the mug didn't break."

Roy held his hands in front of his face and watched them tremble "I feel like life keeps taking pieces of me...I don't know if I can put myself back together."

Sharon gripped his hands, "You won't have to try alone, you've got me, Ebony and the rest of your team to help you."

Roy looked into his mother's eyes, "Even if I-we succeed, I don't think I'll ever be the same."

Sharon kissed her son between the ears once more, "And that's not a bad thing. All of us, human and faunus, are molded by our experiences. You've made a mistake, but you'll learn from it." Sharon gently lifted his chin with her finger, "Just keep your head up. Remember your mistakes, but don't let them define you and strive to be better."

Roy nodded, "Thanks mom." he whispered.

She stroked his cheek gently, "You'll have a lot of sleepless nights in the future." she said sadly, "But it'll get better. Things never stay awful forever."

 **The motto I live by; "Things never stay awful forever." This was an interesting and challenging chapter to write, but I consider it one of the more important ones. It shows that Roy is Human (well, faunus) and that he understands the gravity of taking a life.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. we only have 3 more to go!**

 **Until next we meet,**

- **Ar3mRising.**


	56. Chapter 55: So Many Hours Before Dawn

Roy laid awake that night, tossing and turning. It was 2:30 in the morning and he'd been struggling to sleep for the past 4 hours.

Despite his mother's words, he couldn't prevent his mind from going back to the previous night. As he turned onto his side for what felt like the 18th time, a vivid flashback caused him to wince and curl into a ball under his covers.

He was back in the woods watching the light drain out of the lemur faunus's eyes. He could almost smell Ratan's blood on his hands once more and feel his rib cage collapsing under his hand. Roy desperately tried to turn his mind elsewhere, but failed miserably. His brain felt like it was stuck in a whirlpool; no matter how hard he tried to swim away, the memory kept pulling him back down.

At 3:30 in the morning, Roy finally admitted defeat. He rolled out of bed and quietly threw on some sweatpants and his coat, leaving his chest bare.

He thought about grabbing Μόνος on his way out of his room, but decided against it and left her leaning against his bed post. He silently snuck down the hallway, into the kitchen and out the back door as quietly as he could.

The cool air of a Mistrali night greeted him and he took a deep breath, letting the crisp breeze chase away the shadows in his mind. Entering the woods behind the house, Roy started waking. He didn't have any real destination in mind, he just hoped the stroll would be enough to coax sleep back into his brain.

He walked and walked, not really seeing where he was going, eventually reaching the plateau from several days prior. The broken moon was shining over the plain, bathing everything in a bluish hue.

Roy walked down the plateau, until he reached an area that jutted out from the main cliff face. On the protrusion of rock stood a single solitary tree, its branches gently swaying in the night breeze. Roy quietly made his way to it and sank down between two of the thicker roots. Raising his hands in front of his face, he regarded them sadly.

Normally, Roy would wear gloves to cover the long pale scars on his palms, but at the moment, his hands were bare. The twin scars glowed slightly under pale light of the moon shining in the sky. Clenching his hands, Roy let them sink back down into his lap with a sad sigh.

"Will my hands ever be clean?" he asked himself out loud.

His ear twitched as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. "I'm sorry if I woke you Mom" he apologized as he turned to addressed Sharon.

His eyes narrowed as he saw that the person approaching him was not his mother, but the White Fang girl from the night before. Roy sprang up and grabbed at his waist, remembering as he did that he'd left Μόνος in his room.

"Come to avenge your friend?" He asked calmly, nodding to the overlarge sniper rifle axe combination hanging over her shoulder.

The girl shook her head and leaned the rifle against the tree. She was wearing her mask again, the empty eye holes of a beowolf skull leering back at him. In one fluid motion, she slid the mask off and dropped it next to her rifle.

"Not tonight, murderer" she replied tursley.

Roy flinched slightly at "Murderer".

The girl sank down beside the tree and let her hair down out of its ponytail with a sigh, "You know, you haven't changed much since we were kids," She began quietly, "Your ears are still ginormous."

Roy regarded the girl coolly. So, his earlier guess had been correct; this girl, this White Fang sniper, was in fact Lunaris Lupis, his mentor Simon's daughter. When Roy had last seen her, they'd both been 13 years old. Back then she'd been shorter than him and her hair had been cut shoulder length in a traditional Atlesian style. Now, sitting before him in the moonlight, was an admittedly gorgeous young woman whose hair fell down to her lower back and now had at least 5 inches on him.

Her eyes were the same biting frost blue as her father and her hair, the same dusty grey with reddish highlights. Her strong lupine legs she'd inherited from her mother lay splayed in front of her, The fur on her feet the same color as the hair on her head.

Lunaris shot him a sidelong look. "My father thought very highly of you." she said matter-of-factly, "He said that you reminded him of himself when he was younger." "

Roy remained standing, hands clenched, ready for any sudden moves,

"He's really the only reason I'm here, to offer a friendly warning." Lunaris continued.

"How generous of you," Roy said quietly.

Lunaris' eyes sparked dangerously, "Don't test me, Murderer. I've come to tell you to lay low...permanently. If we ever cross paths again, I will kill you"

Roy nodded "I see," he said with a calm he didn't feel at all.

Lunaris scoffed and stood, leaning over she gripped her rifle and slung it over her shoulder again,

"Tell me," Roy said, "Have they raised the bounty on turn coats?"

Lunaris picked up her beowolf skull mask, "Only two bounties are higher than yours."

Roy nodded and went back to looking out over the plateau, "You know I won't lay low, not as long as the white Fang continues on this road."

Lunaris donned her mask, pulling the muzzle low over her face to hide a sad smile,

"Can't blame a girl for trying." She whispered to herself before turning and slipping away into the darkness.

Roy swiveled his cat ears to confirm he was alone then slid back down under the tree. He checked the clock on his scroll; 3:45. He sighed,

"There are so many hours until dawn." he whispered.

His thoughts wandered back to the last night he'd spent with Ebony. That night, lying in her warm embrace, the hours had practically flown past compared to this agonizing crawl. Roy took in a full breath of the cool night air and watched as several wispy clouds inched their way across the dark, star speckled night.

Ever so slowly, the fractured moon crawled from its apex towards the horizon. The light pink glow of the morning began to infuse the midnight expanse as the sun finally peaked its sleepy head above the hills on the edge of the horizon. The light hit the top of the tree Roy was sitting under and slowly slid down the trunk until it tickled the tops of his feline ears.

Roy sighed and closed his eyes, enjoying the slight warmth from the fresh morning sun. He would've liked to stay longer, but he knew that he should be back before his mother awoke.

Don't want her to worry anymore than she already is. he thought to himself.

Straightening up, Roy brushed grass and dirt off of his sweatpants. As he walked back to the cabin, his mind turned back to Lunaris' warning,

"If our paths cross again, I will kill you."

He remembered the way she had so deftly snuck up on him during the battle of Haven, her skills made it apparent that she was more than capable of delivering on her threat.

Roy was so lost in thought that he didn't notice he'd already made it back to the house until he heard his mother call his name. He looked up to the back porch and saw his mother standing there, watching him walk toward the house, two steaming mugs in hand and a warm smile on her face.

"How long have you been waiting?" he asked sheepishly.

Sharon handed him his tea and cupped his cheek, "Not long."

Roy gave her a small smile and took a sip of his tea; Lemon with a hint of Honey, just how he liked it.

"How was the sunrise?" Sharon asked.

Roy almost choked on his tea, "H-how'd you know?" he stammered.

His mother twitched her ear at him, her earring flashing in the morning sun, "Mother's intuition." she replied smugly.

Roy rolled his eyes, "Of course."

His mother watched him take another sip of his tea, "Couldn't sleep?" she asked,

Roy shook his head "I tried but…" he trailed off and stared into his teacup gloomily.

"Night terrors?" his mother asked.

Roy nodded, "They'd all but stopped after I arrived here and now they're back." Roy's hand tightened around his cup, "I haven't had a goodnight sleep in months before I came and I thought I'd finally found a place where the demons couldn't follow. I forgot that we create our own demons."

He set his mug down on the counter with a clunk and sighed, "Does it get easier to sleep at night?"

Sharon's heart ached at the sadness in her son's eyes, "It can…" she began, "You will probably sleep through the night once you've recovered from the shock."

Roy nodded and began walking down the hall towards his room, intending to try and fall back asleep. A knock at the door of the cabin caused him to pause. His mother walked to the door and swung it open. Roy heard her say, "Can I help you?"

A familiar gravelly voice spoke next, "Uh, Yeah I'm looking for a faunus kid? He's got cat ears and is missing an eye."

Roy could almost feel his mother tensing, "Why?" she asked simply.

"He wants to chew me out for being a piss-poor rear guard" Roy said, stepping up next to his mother.

Qrow stood on the walkway leading up to the door, one hand resting on the hilt of his weapon, the other stowing a flask back into his breast pocket. He nodded to Roy "Hey kid, you look like hell."

Roy nodded, "not surprising," he said, " I haven't slept since the attack on Haven."

Qrow processed the information, "Rough, I need to talk to you."

Roy nodded, "I thought you might."

Roy heard his mother clear her throat, "Roy, aren't you going to introduce me?" she asked pointedly,

"Oh, right. Mom this is-"

"Qrow Branwen," Qrow cut across Roy's introduction, "If I would have know that such a beauty lived out here I would have widened my patrols."

Roy blinked in surprise, Qrow was trying to flirt with his mother.

Sharon gaized levely at the huntsman, "Charmed I'm sure. If you have business with my son then I won't keep you" she turned briskly around and walked away from the door, leaving Roy standing alone with Qrow.

Stepping out onto the porch, Roy closed the door and faced the elder huntsman. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't flirt with my mother."

Qrow gave Roy a roguish wink, "Was it that obvious?" he asked.

Roy rolled his eyes, "What is it you'd like to discuss?" he asked quietly.

"First off," Qrow said, "you can tell me what happened."

Roy shrugged, "Not much to tell, I got sloppy, one of the White Fang snuck up on me and shoved me off the top of the CCTV tower. The fall damaged my communicator. Then, two of the faunus knew me from Atlas and wanted revenge."

Qrow held up a hand, "For what?" he asked.

Roy allowed the ghost of a smug smile to appear of his face, "I broke one of their noses, I thought it was an improvement."

Qrow snorted, "That was why you didn't call us then." he said, looking to Roy for confirmation.

The faunus nodded, "Basically, yes."

Qrow mulled over the information, his eyes snapping back to Roy "Why didn't you come and help us afterwards?" he asked.

Roy frowned "You're assuming I won then…"

Qrow cut him off with his hand, "I don't have to assume, your eye tells me the whole story."

Roy looked away and Qrow sighed, "How many?"

Roy looked back, confused, "How many…?"

"People have you killed." Qrow finished.

Roy's ears snapped backwards, "I….!" his legs seemed to lose all their strength and he slid down onto the top step of the porch. He decided it was better not to lie to the older huntsman, "He was the first."

Qrow's face softened and he reached down and gripped Roy's shoulder, "I'm sorry kid, I know how tough it can be."

Roy nodded, his eyes fixed on the dirt between his feet.

"What's the plan now?" he asked softly.

Qrow swept several spare bangs off of his forehead, "Well, we have the Haven relic. I think the best course of action would be to take it to Atlas for safe keeping."

Roy bristled slightly, "I hope you're joking."

Qrow raised an eyebrow, "I'm not really the joking type."

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't like the idea of taking the relic to Ironwood."

Qrow sighed, "This isn't about Ironwood, it's about the security he can provide."

Roy scoffed and stood, "You mean the same protection that he provided the citizens of Vale?"

Qrow chuckled darkly, "I knew I liked you kid, We're not gonna be leaving for a couple weeks. Rest up and get back into fighting shape."

Roy nodded, "I will, Oh and Mr. Branwen?"

Qrow, who had started walking back toward the road turned back around, "Don't call me Mr Branwen it makes me feel old, What?"

Roy clenched his fists until his knuckles creaked, "What happened last night, with the helmet...It will not be repeated."

Qrow looked Roy up and down before replying. "I'll hold you to that kid, by the way, call me Qrow."

Roy nodded "Will do….Qrow"

 **And with that, we've come to the official end of Vol. 5. We still have one more chapter and an epilogue before this thing ends. Don't worry though, I'll have another story coming down the pipeline soon.**

 **Until next we meet,**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


	57. Chapter 56: Reunions

A week later, Roy strolled leisurely through the Mistral marketplace. His mother had sent him out that morning, basket in hand, to make their weekly grocery run.

"I think it's about time you get back out there, see the sights, meet new people!" she'd said over his protests, "Now get going!"

Roy had mostly chose to stay around the cabin, sharpening his sword skills and learning to mix them with his martial arts and semblance. While he'd been training he'd started developing a new use for his semblance.

Roy had found that by channeling the kinetic energy into the pads of his feet, he could push of the ground and either rapidly shoot forward or jump high into the air. It was a major discovery, but he was having trouble integrating it into his fighting style. He would shoot forward, but then couldn't come to a stop, Jump high and then would overshoot his target.

These failures only made Roy more determined to overcome these problems.

Just maybe not on the plateau. he thought to himself with a smile.

It had been only yesterday when he'd overshot and almost plummeted off the edge of the plateau. He'd barely managed to catch the edge of the cliff and hoist himself back up.

Chuckling to himself at the memory, Roy began to inspect some apples from a nearby stall. It was now midday, a steady breeze was blowing in from the north ruffling the hem of Roy's coat and cooling his cat ears. The sun was high over head, casting the rainbow colors of the fruit stalls into high relief.

"Oy, Roy!"

Roy almost dropped the shiny red apple he was holding as a very boisterous, very familiar voice called his name. He turned quickly and caught a glimpse of a tall woman with purple hair sitting at an open air saké bar.

"Aster!" he exclaimed, pleasantly surprised by the pilot's appearance.

Aster stood and marched over to him, "I wondered if you landed safely!" She grabbed him and put him in a headlock, noogying him furiously, "You've got some nerve pulling a stupid stunt like that with me short stack!" she growled playfully.

Roy winced as she got a little too rough with his ears, "Ah! Watch the ears!" he exclaimed.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry." Aster released him, grinned sheepishly.

Roy straightened his hair and massaged his ears, "So, what brings you back to this neck of the woods?" he asked.

Aster returned to her seat, casually sipping her saké as Roy took the chair across from her, "Well, after you dove off the end of my ship, I turned around and headed back to Vale. About 3 weeks after that, I had two girls come looking for a ride to Mistral. I was curious to see if I would bump into you while I was here so I volunteered."

Roy's mouth went dry Could it be? He thought, It can't be. "Aster, could you describe these girls?"

Aster swirled the remaining saké in her cup, "Describe them? Well let me see, one of em' is short like really short and the other has a big fluffy tail…"

Roy bolted upright almost upsetting the table.

"Woah there Shortstack!" Aster exclaimed, clutching her saké cup, "What's got into you…."

Roy gripped Aster's shoulders "Where are these girls now?!" he asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

Aster's look of confusion slowly turned to an ecstatic smile, "Ohmygods, ohmygods! It's her! The taller girl with the tail is Ebony! All this time, I had your girlfriend on my ship and I never realised?!" she babbled out.

Roy shook her, "Aster! Focus!"

Aster was still grinning like a madwoman, "Sorry, sorry. We were in the bar asking about you when an old guy said he'd shown you to your mother's house. The two of them had just set out when I saw you-"

Roy turned and sprinted away from Aster and back the way he came, dodging people and stalls left and right.

His gaze darted left and right as he ran, keeping an eye out for a flash of blonde or black hair in the sea of Mistralians. He didn't see them as he descended the tiers of the city, so he figured they must be on the road to his house. A cart suddenly trundled out of a side alley in front of him and he took a flying leap, clearing the cart with inches to spare. He hit the ground, still running and sprinted out through Mistral's gates, his feet pounding the dusty road home.

As he neared the patch of woods where the cabin was, he finally spotted two figures ahead of him on the road. One was tall and lithe with a long flowing braid that fell to the middle of her back. A large cat tail swayed back and forth in time with her steps and over her shoulder was slung a large dust staff. The other was short and petite with a green cowl pulled up over her head obscuring her features. Two large knives were sheathed across her back and she was jogging lightly to keep up with the taller figure's wider strides. Roy, still in a dead sprint, filled his lungs and yelled a single name into the Mistrali afternoon,

"EBONY!"

The figures spun around and the taller one dropped her weapon and began sprinting back down the road to meet him, running like the wind had given wings to her heels. A second voice rang out,

"ROY!"

Nearer and nearer, the two lovers came, closer and closer to each other. The world fell away for Roy, the only thing he could see was the young woman sprinting toward him. They finally met and Roy swept her up into his arms, holding her as tightly as he could and whirling her around and around in the middle of the road.

"You're here," he said, tears flowing freely from his eye. "You're here, you're here" he sobbed.

Ebony was sobbing too and holding him just as tight. "I'm here, I'm here" she answered him, nuzzling his face gently.

Roy's senses were dominated by Ebony, her warm body pressed against his, his nose full of that lavender scent that seemed to follow her everywhere.

He set Ebony down and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her passionately as if she was about to disappear. Ebony melted into the kiss, her hands gripping Roy's coat to keep herself upright.

"Heads up!"

The next thing Roy knew, a green cowled cannonball collided with him and Ebony, sending the tree of them tumbling to the ground. Somehow Dahlia ended up on top of the Ebony and Roy, grinning down at the two of them,

"Hey Roy! How you been?" she said sweetly.

Roy answered by squeezing Ebony and Dahlia to him tightly "You're here!" he said again, "both of you! It's more than I could have wished!"

Dahlia squirmed in his arms, "Roy you're being weird! Lemme go!"

Roy did as she asked and Dahlia danced back to her feet, brushing the dust off of her clothes. As opposed to her old black sweater and steel grey leggings, she now wore a black sleeveless shirt, long separated sleeves that matched her green cowl, maroon skinny jeans and Her two knives; Komodia and Tragodia in their sheaths crossed behind her back.

Ebony stood as well, allowing Roy to get a good look at her traveling clothes. She wore a deep blue Mistrali combat coat that fell to mid-thigh, red fingerless arm warmers, cream pants, a side skirt and closed toe, lightweight combat shoes. Her hair was up in a braid, a small silver bird pendant clipped to the base.

Ebony finished brushing herself off and fixed Roy with an appraising look. "What happened to your hair?" she asked, trying and failing to hide a smile.

Roy ran his hand through his unfortunately short hair, "My mom."

Ebony and Dahlia's faces lit up, "You found her!" Dahlia squealed.

Roy nodded with a grin, "Yep, I did and she's...just so great."

Ebony smiled, "I can't wait to meet her." she murmured.

Roy laughed, "She said the same thing about you."

Ebony's eyes widened, "Y-you told her about me?"

Roy gave her an apologetic shrug, "Um...Yeah? You're my girlfriend and the love of my life, what else was I going to do? Not mention you?"

Ebony started to sputter, "Well...I..I mean...Y-You...Um"

Dahlia gave Ebony a quick shove, "Oh, Just kiss him again, Gods"

Ebony laughed and leaned in, capturing Roy's lips for a second kiss. Roy placed his hand on Ebony's cheek, gently pressing her into the kiss. Off to the side, Dahlia pulled her hood over her face and made a retching noise.

Ebony broke the kiss off and fixed Dahlia with a frigid stare, "Excuse you, little miss invalid."

"I'm not an invalid anymore!" Dahlia pouted.

Roy couldn't help but laugh at the wounded look on Dahlia's face. Ebony turned back to him, "So," she began, "Who's this witty, lightning fast friend you were talking about?"

Roy smiled and drew Μόνος with a flourish, "Guys, I'd like to introduce you to Μόνος; my new sword."

Ebony eyes widened as she took in the sight of the elegant red steel of the sword flashing in the evening sun. "Did you build her Roy?" she asked.

Roy nodded, "Every screw and segment."

Dahlia raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean segment?" she asked, "Looks like one big piece to me."

Roy grinned and stepped back, pulling the trigger on the handle. Μόνος' blade shifted into her whip sword form with a crisp *ching* noise. He whirled her one handed, pulling several complicated maneuvers with the thrumming steel. Ebony laughed and Dahlia clapped her hands.

"Most impressive." Ebony cooed.

"That thing is freaking awesome!" Dahlia squealed.

Roy returned Μόνος to her sword form and slid her back into her sheath with a soft snap. "I'm glad you think so. Anyway, have you guys…." he started to ask, but the sound of pounding footsteps behind him caused him to turn around.

A figure was sprinting toward them toward the city, one hand clutching something and the other waving furiously, "HEEEEYYYY!" a familiar voice floated toward him on the wind.

Roy blinked in surprise, "ASTER?!" he called out.

Sure enough, the tall, purple haired captain of the Dusty Daydream was sprinting full speed at them.

"Roy!" she called as she drew near, "You dropped your basket back there!"

Aster finally skidded to a halt in front of the trio, "Thought you might want the groceries you paid for." she said, handing the half full basket back to him.

Roy looked at the tall woman with a grateful look on his face, "Thank you so much Aster, Mom would have murdered me if I came back without them."

Ebony tapped Roy on the shoulder, "What were you saying before?"

Roy snapped his fingers as he recalled his previous train of thought, "Right! Have you two eaten yet?"

Ebony and Dahlia shook their heads.

Aster placed her hands behind her head, "I haven't either, all I've had is that sake. Could I possibly impose on your mother for a meal?"

Roy smiled at the incorrigible pilot, "I think we could dig something up for you." he joked.

Roy turned, and began walking toward his mother's house, motioning to the three women behind him, "Come on, I'll take you the rest of the way." Ebony fell in step besides the young faunus, gently intertwining her fingers with his.

"I must admit, I'm a little nervous to meet your mother." she murmured to him.

Roy smiled reassuringly at her, "I don't think you need to worry." he said.

Ebony raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

Roy gently stroked Ebony's tail tip, "The look on her face when she found out you were a faunus was quite reassuring"

Ebony blushed and gathered her tail in her arms, grooming it carefully as they walked, making sure not one hair was out of place.

Roy suddenly felt someone touch his ears, "Aster...what are you doing?" he asked indignantly.

Aster continued gently rubbing his right cat ear between her thumb and forefinger, "You said I could, remember? Then that nevermore almost took us out of the sky!"

Roy sighed, he did remember that. "Alright, go ahead...but this is one time thing, got it!?"

 **We are so close to the end, I can just taste it. I have some fears that once I stop posting chapters, the story will die, I hope not. Anyway we've just got the Epilogue to go and then it's over...well at least until I write the next installment. As I've mentioned before, I follow the canon timeline and create my own** **parallel** **running timeline. The only problem with this is I can only write as much as RWBY has been running. right now I have plans for Vol. 6 I just haven't written them yet. Stay tuned though! I have a little project to keep you guys entertained while I write that.**

 **Until next we meet,** **  
-Ar3mRising.**


	58. Epilogue

Sharon added a tiny bit of flavoring to the beef stew she was preparing. She'd settled on making the Atlesian dish after seeing that she had an entire uncooked side of beef in her freezer.

As the smell of the stew filled the kitchen, the lovely aroma took her back to the days when she and Roy's father had lived together. The carefree days of being able to wake up next to the love of her life every morning and see his peaceful face, watching his chest rise and fall.

She sighed, longing for those days again. No, she told herself, she wouldn't do this again. Roy's father was off in Vacuo doing important work, it wouldn't help her to pine after him like a lonely school girl.

Dipping her ladle into the savory brown broth, she took a small taste,

"Hmmmm, needs more salt," she said out loud, adding a pinch of the desired mineral to the concoction.

As she stirred, Sharon took a moment to glance at the clock. Roy had left at 10 and it was almost 11:30. She knew the walk to Mistral certainly did not take that long.

"He's probably fine," She mumbled to herself, "He probably just saw someone he knew."

She went back to her stew, stirring and tweaking it in turns until the flavor was just right.

Setting her ladle aside, Sharon turned the burner to low, allowing the stew to stay hot without running the risk of it boiling over or burning.

Pouring herself a mug of iced tea she'd made the previous day, Sharon walked out onto her front porch and sank into the wicker chair.

The kindly mail man had once suggested she get a rocking chair for the front porch.

"A rocking chair will grace this porch when I need a cane and glasses." She had crisply responded.

The mail man had laughed at that and, with a wave, had returned to his route.

Sharon rolled her shoulders to work out the kinks and settled back to await her son's return. The sun shone brightly and a light breeze tickled the tips of her faunus ears. Birds sang in the trees surrounding the cabin, but other than that there wasn't a sound.

The pleasant warmth combined with the tranquility of her home slowly worked it's magic and Sharon's eyes began to droop. She fought to keep them open, wanting to be awake when Roy returned. But despite her best efforts, her eyes slowly but surely slid closed.

The next thing Sharon knew, she was being gently shaken awake, "Mom?...Mom, wake up."

She opened her eyes to find her son kneeling in front her, his hand outstretched, gently grasping her knee. She gave him a sleepy smile,

"You know, I forget sometimes how much you look like your father." she said softly, reaching out and gently caressing his cheek.

He smiled sheepishly and pressed her hand to his cheek. "Come on, there's some people I'd like you to meet."

Roy stood and offered his mother his hand; she took it and allowed herself to be gently pulled to her feet. Sharon turned her gaze to the small dusty path that led up to her front door to find three women standing there.

Her gaze was immediately drawn to the cat tailed young lady standing next to the tall purple haired woman. Her eyes flicked to Roy and then back to the girl. Roy nodded with a soft smile.

Sharon descended the steps and walked up to the girl, taking a moment to appreciate the other faunus' beauty. Her graceful face and strong cheekbones, her dark silky hair, the gentle, yet elegant curves of her body. Sharon had to admit it, her son was a very fortunate faunus.

At the moment, the girl's beautiful face held a slightly nervous expression. Sharon remembered having the same expression on her face years earlier when she had met Ōbān's parents for the first time.

Wanting to alleviate the girl's stress, Sharon gently grasped her hands and, leaning forward, nuzzled the girl once on each cheek. The girl blushed and offered Sharon a small smile. In faunus culture, a double nuzzle bestowed upon a potential suitor was a parent's soft way of saying, 'I approve.'

"You must be Ebony." Sharon said with a smile,

Ebony nodded and offered her a slight curtsy, "Yes, Ebony Winterhold, it's a pleasure ma'am."

Sharon shot a glance back at Roy, "My son's told me a lot about you."

Ebony blushed once more, "All good things I hope."

Roy chuckled, "Are there any bad things to mention?" he asked.

 _Smooth,_ Sharon thought as she watched the blush on the Ebony's cheeks deepen. Releasing Sharon's hands, Ebony turned and placed her arm around the smallest, most adorable human Sharon had ever laid eyes on."May I present Dahlia Shino, Roy and I's teammate." Ebony introduced the girl.

Dahlia curtsied lightly, "I am at your service Roy's mom!"

Sharon's hands flew to her mouth, the girl was too cute for words. She couldn't help herself, she really couldn't. She knelt down and pulled the petite girl into a hug,

"You are the most precious thing I've ever seen in my life!" she proclaimed.

Dahlia giggled and allowed herself to be fawned over; she seemed flattered by Sharon's reaction.

"She's even shorter than you Roy!" the elder faunus cooed, looking between Roy and Dahlia with an expression of absolute delight on her face.

Dahlia laughed at the look of bemused embarrassment on Roy's face, "Eh what can I say, I'm fun sized." she joked.

Sharon's jaw dropped, "You're fu-"

Next thing Dahlia knew she was being squished against Sharon's bosom in a bear hug.

"I'm keeping her!" Sharon proclaimed.

"Mom, let her go please?" Roy asked still blushing furiously.

The tall woman with the purple hair let out a hearty guffaw, "What can she say short stack, she's obviously always wanted a litter!"

The color drained from her face, "Oh shit! Was that racist? I'm so sorry!" She hid her face in her large ponytail.

Sharon could tell from Roy's expression that this woman wasn't flustered like this normally. Sharon laughed brightly at the suggestion, "I mean, You're not wrong Ms….?"

The woman's flushed face reappeared from out behind her hair, "Aster, Aster Vinge. The best smuggling pilot this side of Sanus!"

Sharon nodded in greeting, "It's a pleasure to meet you," she turned to the other two girls, "All of you. I assume you'll stay for supper?"

She took the gentle nod from Ebony, the furious up and down of Dahlia's head and the bold thumbs-up from Aster to mean that the answer was yes.

"Sorry I didn't give you more warning Mom," Roy mumbled. "I'll help you in the kitchen."

Sharon ruffled his hair. "Thanks 'short stack' I'd appreciate that."

Roy grumbled and straightened his hair before turning and following the small party as they trooped inside with Sharon bringing up the rear. As she turned around to shut the door, she could've sworn she saw the silhouette of someone watching her from the woods. She blinked and the figure disappeared. She shook her head; she must be more tired than she thought.

 _My prodigal son has returned,_ Sharon thought, _The road he chose is not an easy one. There will be ups and downs, days where he feels he can't go on. But, he's found friends that will always be there to show him the beauty of this world...This world of Remnant._

She smiled at the surrounding forest,

 _And what a world it is._

THE END...FOR NOW.

 **And that's all she wrote, that's the end of this chapter of the story. Did you like it? tell me what you thought! please! I'd like to say thank you to My editor Austin, my reviewers (All of you) and to Monty Oum for creating RWBY.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **-Ar3mRising.**


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